Teacher´s turnover in the Rio de Janeiro City Department of Education

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to investigate the teachers´ turnover dynamics, in the Department of Education of the City of Rio de Janeiro. An existing non-random distribution pattern of teachers among schools was assumed, with a highlight on convergences, if any, between teachers and student profiles, especially those regarding teacher qualification indicators and the socioeconomic level and student achievement. Therefore, teachers with more favorable characteristics would tend to work in schools with students with higher socioeconomics levels and better educational performance, and vice-versa. In terms of literature review, international studies investigating teacher mobility inside the same school system stand out. This research covers teachers joining the Rio de Janeiro City school system between 2002 and 2012 and investigates the relation between teacher turnover in schools and the main features of teachers and students. The analyses are based on the local legislation on the transfer of such educational professionals from a school to another; on teacher functional data and school transfer records provided by the Rio de Janeiro Department of Education (SME-RJ); in addition, data from Teste Brasil (a natiowide test), regarding socioeconomic info and educational achievement of students. Major results include a possible convergence between poorer profiles of teachers and students in schools with higher teachers´s turnover.