PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Listed in Reverse Chronological Order

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

19. Still Want to Be a Doctor? Medical Student Dropout in the Era of COVID (Joint with Xiaoyang Ye, Muxin Zhai, A’Na Xie, Weimin Wang, Hongbin Wu) Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization (Conditionally Accepted)

Abstract to come.

18. Working College Students’ Time Pressure and Work-School Conflict: Do Boundary Permeability and Dispositional Mindfulness Matter? (Joint with Min Wan, Xiao Meng, Muxin Zhai, Robert Konopaske) Psychological Reports.2021/7/5

Although working college students are experiencing increasing demands on their time, the influence of time pressure on students’ work-school experience has been under-studied in the extant career development literature. Drawing on boundary theory and conservation of resources theory, the present research investigates the degree to which work or school time pressure is associated with working college students’ work-school conflict through work-school boundary permeability. Moreover, this study considers dispositional mindfulness as an individual resource that buffers the relationships above. Using a sample of 222 working college students in a large and diverse public university in the United States, we find support that work and school time pressures predict higher work-school conflict through work-school boundary permeability. Results also suggest that dispositional mindfulness moderates the indirect relationship among school time pressure, school-to-work boundary permeability, and school-to-work conflict. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.

Book Chapters

17. Chapter 30 – Compensating differentials in teacher labor markets. The Economics of Education A Comprehensive Overview 2nd edition. Edited by: Steve Bradley and Colin Green. 2020. Published version.

In reviewing empirical teacher labor market literature across: compensating wage differentials, teacher retention, and policy intervention, we find several emerging patterns. Empirical literature on compensating wage differentials point out that there are positive compensating wage differentials for teaching in schools with higher minority enrollment. That magnitude ranges from a few percentage points to 14 percentage points. There is no consensus on whether there is a compensating wage differential for teaching in schools with higher share of free and reduced lunch students. From teacher retention studies, those previous studies collectively indicate that there is a positive wage differential for teaching in both high minority and low-income schools. From quasi-experimental policy intervention studies, we find that the labor supply elasticity ranges from slightly larger than one to 4.30. Using evidence from a recent random assignment experiment, we find suggestive evidence that we need close to $7,000 as combat pay to attract and retain teachers in schools with high share of minority and low-income students.

Keywords: Compensating wage differentials; Hedonic wage regression; Labor supply elasticity; Teacher salaries

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

16. School accountability and teacher mobility(Joint with David N. Figlio and Tim Sass) 2018. Journal Of Urban Economics published version.

This paper presents the first causal evidence on the effects of school accountability systems on teacher labor markets. We exploit a 2002 change in Florida’s school accountability system that exogenously shocked some schools to higher accountability grades and others to lower accountability grades, and measure whether teachers in shocked schools are more or less likely to move. Using microdata from the universe of Florida public school teachers, we find strong evidence that accountability shocks influence the teacher labor market; specifically, teachers are more likely to leave schools that have been downward shocked — especially to the bottom grade — and they are less likely to leave schools that have been upward shocked. We also find that accountability shocks influence the distribution of the measured quality of teachers (in terms of value added measures) who stay and leave their school, though the average differences are not large.

15. Researching Collective Bargaining Agreements: Building Conceptual Understanding in an Era of Declining Union Power(Joint with LT Osborne-Lampkin, L Cohen-Vogel, JJ Wilson) 2017. Educational Policy published version.

Here, we examine over two decades of empirical literature to explore the ways scholars have been working to reveal the changing set of policy and political conditions in which teachers unions are operating. In this context, we identify the conceptual models educational researchers have used to frame their research and the applications of these frameworks in the literature on teachers unions. Our findings reveal that the research on teachers unions over the past two decades provides deep historical context. Less evident in this research are explicit conceptual groundings to theory and how the theoretical/empirical literature is applied in inquiry.

14. The Impact of Incentives to Recruit and Retain Teachers in “Hard‐to‐Staff” Subjects(Joint with Tim R. Sass) 2017. Journal Of Policy Analysis and Management published version.

We investigate the effects of a statewide program designed to increase the supply of teachers in designated “hard‐to‐staff” areas, such as special education, math, and science. Employing a difference‐in‐difference estimator we find that the loan forgiveness component of the program was effective, reducing mean attrition rates for middle and high school math and science teachers by 10.4 percent and 8.9 percent, respectively. We also find that the impact of loan forgiveness varied with the generosity of payments; when fully funded, the program reduced attrition of special education teachers by 12.3 percent, but did not have a statistically significant impact when funding was substantially reduced. A triple‐difference estimate indicates that a one‐time bonus program also had large effects, reducing the likelihood of teachers’ exit by as much as 32 percent in the short run. A back‐of‐the‐envelope cost‐benefit analysis suggests that both the loan forgiveness and the bonus program were cost effective.

13. Relationship between pharmacist density and adult influenza vaccination after controlling for individual and neighborhood effects(Joint with Yunwei Gai) 2017. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association published version.

Since 2009, all 50 states have passed legislation to allow pharmacists to administer influenza vaccinations. Pharmacies have become the second most common place for influenza vaccination, after a doctor’s office. The aim of this study was to provide nationally representative results on the relationship between pharmacist density and influenza vaccination after controlling for both individual- and county-level characteristics.

12. Teacher Quality and Teacher Mobility(Joint with Tim R. Sass) 2017. Education Finance and Policy published version.

There is growing concern among policy makers over the quality of the teacher workforce in general, and the distribution of effective teachers across schools. The impact of teacher attrition on overall teacher quality will depend on the effectiveness of teachers who leave the profession. Likewise, teacher turnover may alleviate or worsen inequities in the distribution of teachers, depending on which teachers change schools or leave teaching and who replaces them. Using matched student–teacher panel data from the state of Florida, we examine teacher mobility across the distribution of effectiveness (as measured by teacher value added). We find that top-quartile and bottom-quartile teachers exit at a higher rate than do average-quality teachers. Additionally, as the share of peer teachers with more experience, advanced degrees, or professional certification increases, the likelihood of moving within-district decreases. We also find some evidence of assortative matching among teachers—more productive reading/language arts teachers are more likely to stay in teaching if they have more productive peer teachers.

11. Local Labor Market Condition and Influenza Vaccination (Joint with Yunwei Gai and Jing Hao) 2017. Atlantic Economic Journal.published version.

Influenza vaccination is a cost-effective preventive service, but its utilization rate is below the recommended level. Many studies have explored possible predictors and causes for low vaccination rates. Despite a large volume of studies in this area, there is limited research on how local economic conditions can affect individual influenza vaccination. This study explores this topic by merging the 2008–2012 individual-level data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) with the Area Health Resources Files (AHRF), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS). Using county-level unemployment rates as a measurement of local economic conditions, we used multivariate probit models to examine its relationship with individual flu vaccination while controlling for individual socioeconomic and demographic factors and contextual characteristics. We found that county-level unemployment rates were significantly and negatively associated with individual influenza vaccination, especially for people who were employed or living in metropolitan counties. Our results support public health interventions to improve flu vaccination during economic recessions.

10. Limited Access to Healthcare among Hispanics in the US-Mexico Border Region (Joint with Minghui Shen and Yunwei Gai) 2016. American Journal of Health Behavior published version.

Using large national databases, we investigated how living in the US-Mexico border region further limited access to healthcare among the non-elderly Hispanic adult population after controlling individual and county-level characteristics. Methods: The 2008-2012 individual-level data of non-elderly Hispanic adults from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were merged with county-level data from Area Health Resources File (AHRF). Multivariate logistic analyses were performed to predict insurance status and access to doctors using residency in the US-Mexico border region as the key predictor, adjusting individual and county-level factors. Results: Controlling only individual characteristic, Hispanics living in the US-Mexico border region had significantly lower odds of having health insurance (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49-0.54) and access to doctors (AOR = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.66-0.72). After including county-level measurements of healthcare system capacity and other local characteristics, the border region continued to be associated with lower likelihood of healthcare access. Conclusion: Hispanic residents in the U.S.-Mexico border had less access to healthcare than their inland counterparts. The findings highlight unique features in this region and support policies and initiatives to improve minority healthcare access, particularly among disadvantaged populations in this region.

9. Family Learning Environment on Early Literacy among Bilingual Children (Joint with Xiaoning Chen and Yunwei Gai) 2014. Economics of Education Review published version.

Early research on literacy development usually focuses on children in preschool or kindergarten. Few studies have examined the early literacy of bilingual children. This study examines its relationship with different family learning environments (e.g. book availability), and family learning activities (e.g. reading books, telling stories, and singing songs) of bilingual and monolingual children from 9 months of age to kindergarten entry. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort was used as the analysis sample. We included 1300 bilingual children and 5150 English monolingual children. We uncover that bilingual children generally lag behind in both resources and frequency of family learning activities. Using various decomposition techniques, we show that early reading score differences between bilingual and monolingual children can be explained by differences in resources and early family learning environments.

Keywords: Human Capital; Demand for schooling; Educational economics; Reading score; Bilingual children; Book reading; Oaxaca decomposition; Access to books

8. Seniority Provisions in Collective Bargaining Agreements and the “Teacher Quality Gap” (Joint with Lora Cohen-Vogel and La’Tara Osborne-Lampkin) 2013. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis published version.

For at least two decades, studies have demonstrated that the least experienced and credentialed teachers are concentrated in poor, minority, and low-performing schools. Some blame provisions in collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) between teachers unions and school districts that favor senior teachers. Seniority preference rules, they say, exacerbate the “teacher quality gap” by allowing experienced teachers to transfer. Using data from Florida, the authors analyze whether and how CBAs influence the distribution of teacher quality within school districts, paying special attention to staffing rules that grant preferences to senior teachers. They find little evidence that the within-district variation in teacher quality between more and less disadvantaged schools in Florida is explained by the determinativeness of union contract rules.

Keywords: teacher education, collective bargaining, education policy

7. What Makes Special-Education Teachers Special? Teacher Training and Achievement of Students with Disabilities (Joint with Tim R. Sass) 2013. Economics of Education Review published version.

Using statewide data from Florida, we analyze the impact of both pre-service and in-service training on the ability of teachers to promote academic achievement among students with disabilities. We find students with disabilities whose teacher is certified in special education have greater achievement in both math and reading than similar students whose teacher is not special-education certified. However, students without disabilities experience slightly lower achievement when taught by a special-education certified teacher. In-service professional development has no effect on the value-added of teachers in special education courses, but non-disabled students whose regular education teachers received special education training exhibit modestly higher achievement. Similarly, the gain in effectiveness associated with teacher experience is greater for teachers of regular education courses than for teachers of special education courses. Teachers with advanced degrees are more effective in boosting the math achievement of students with disabilities than are those with only a baccalaureate degree.

Keywords: Special education; teacher training

6. Factors Associated with First-Time Use of Preventive Services in the U.S. (Joint with Yunwei Gai). American Journal of Health Behavior. Forthcoming in 2013, Volume 37(2). pages 256-267.

Objective: To examine factors associated with first-time use of preventive services based on the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. Methods: Nine panels of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were merged to identify first-time users of 8 preventive services: blood pressure check, cholesterol screening, colonoscopy, flu vaccination, routine physical, Pap smear, mammogram, and clinical breast examination. Multivariate logistic regressions and sample weights were used. Results: Insurance coverage, access to care, and racial/ethnic minorities are associated with higher odds of first-time use. Findings based on cross-sectional data may not be valid for first-time use. Conclusions: Increased insurance coverage, better access to care, and a focus on minority population can help nonusers of preventive care to make the transition.

Key words: preventive services, insurance coverage, access to care, socioeconomic factors, Behavioral Model of Health Services, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

5. Value added of teachers in high-poverty schools and lower poverty schools (Joint with Tim R. Sass, Jane Hannaway, Zeyu Xu and David N. Figlio). Journal of Urban Economics 72 (2012) 104–122 Publisher version(access required). CALDER working paper 52 version in PDF.

Using student-level microdata from 2000–2001 to 2004–2005 from Florida and North Carolina, we compare the effectiveness of teachers in schools serving primarily students from low-income families (>70% free-and-reduced-price-lunch students) with teachers in schools serving more advantaged students. The results show that the average effectiveness of teachers in high poverty schools is in general less than teachers in other schools and there is significantly greater variation in teacher quality among high poverty schools. These differences are largely driven by less productive teachers at the bottom of the teacher effectiveness distribution in high-poverty schools. The bulk of the quality differential is due to differences in the unmeasured characteristics of teachers. We find that the gain in productivity to more experienced teachers from additional experience is much stronger in lower-poverty schools. The lower return to experience in high-poverty schools does not appear to be a result of differences in the quality of teachers who leave teaching or who switch schools, however. Our findings suggest that measures that induce highly effective teachers to move to high-poverty schools and which promote an environment in which teachers’ skills will improve over time are more likely to be successful.

Keywords: Education, Student Achievement, Teacher Quality, High-poverty Schools

4. Effects of Federal Nutrition Program on Birth Outcomes. (Joint with Yunwei Gai). Atlantic Economic Journal. 2011. Volume 40. pages 61-83. Publisher version(access required).Using a nationally representative sample of the birth cohort of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, we examine the impact on birth outcomes of the largest federal nutrition program in the United States: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). By identifying a set of strong and valid instrumental variables for WIC participation, we are able to address the fundamental problem in the literature—selection bias. Similar to recent studies, we find that WIC does not affect average birth weight and average gestational week after correcting for selection bias using the instrumental variable method. However, WIC participation has significantly reduced the probability of very premature birth and (very) low birth weight after controlling selection bias by bivariate probit models. Our results indicate that rather than affecting the average outcomes, WIC is more effective for births that are at high risk. The potential benefits of WIC program can be realized by increasing its focus on more disadvantaged mothers.

Keywords: Nutrition – Access to care – Birth outcomes – Women, infants and children (WIC) program – Bivariate probit model (BVP), I12 – I18

3. Teacher Placement, Mobility, and Occupational Choices after Teaching (2011). Education Economics. Forthcoming. Published in iFirst in 2011. Publisher version(access required).

Teachers’ initial placement has important implications for student achievement and the distribution of teachers among schools. This paper combines data from a US Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B) longitudinal study with school and school district information from the Common Core of Data to study the effects of initial school placement on teacher mobility. Multinomial logit hazard analysis shows that higher salaries may help retain teachers in the field and improved working conditions may help reduce teacher mobility within the profession. Teachers who change careers do not necessarily earn higher salaries; the occupation choice affects earnings in the new job.

Keywords: Public school teachers, Comparable-Wage-Index-Adjusted Salaries, working conditions, occupational mobility, teacher mobility

2. Hire Today, Gone Tomorrow: New Teacher Classroom Assignments and Teacher Mobility (2010). Education Finance and Policy. 2010. Vol. 5(3), Pages 278-316. Publisher version(access required).

This article explores whether new teachers are assigned to tough classrooms and whether such classroom assignment is associated with higher teacher mobility. It utilizes the statewide administrative data set on public school teachers in Florida during the period 1997–2003 in conjunction with the 1999–2000 Schools and Staffing Survey and its Teacher Follow-Up Survey (SASS-TFS) data set. The SASS-TFS illustrates the possible misclassification of teachers in certain state administrative databases. Results suggest that new teachers in Florida and elsewhere usually teach in more challenging schools and have more disadvantaged children in their classrooms than teachers with more years of experience. Within-school classroom assignments play an important role in teacher mobility decisions. Specifically, school-specific policies on reducing disciplinary problems and possible strategic deployment of teachers in different classrooms may be effective in increasing school-level teacher retention rates.

Keywords: Teacher Turnover; Classroom Environment; Students’ Test Scores

1. Opportunity Wages, Classroom Characteristics, and Teacher Mobility. Southern Economics Journal. 2009. vol. 75(4), pages 1165-1190, April. Publisher version in PDF(approved by the publisher).

This article analyzes the impact of classroom characteristics and opportunity wages on four possible labor market choices of teachers in Florida: remaining at their present school, switching schools within a school district, changing school districts, and leaving teaching. Discrete-time multinomial-logit-hazard model estimates indicate that classroom characteristics play a larger role than school average student characteristics in determining teacher mobility. Opportunity wages based on past teacher movements to other competing districts and professions are found to pull teachers away from their initial placements. Once opportunity wages and working conditions are considered, teachers’ own salaries are found to exert little impact on teacher mobility within the profession; although, they reduce attrition out of the profession. Policy simulations indicate that targeted salary increases based on teacher-specific working conditions are important to retain teachers at a given school.

Keywords: remaining at school; switching schools; leaving teaching; classroom characteristics; mobility; teacher movement

WORKING PAPERS

Competing Risks Analysis of Dropout and Educational Attainment for Students with Disabilities (Joint with Tim R. Sass) 2012. Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Research Paper Series No. 12-09. SSRN paper to download full paper.

We employ individual-level panel data on students with disabilities in Florida to determine the relationship between high school teacher quality and the likelihood a student drops out and the type of diploma they receive if they do finish high school. Our data include five cohorts of 9th graders from 1998/99-2002/03 and link students to individual teachers for each class the students are enrolled in at every grade level. We use both competing risks proportional hazard Cox model and propensity score matching to estimate the effect of teachers. We find some evidence of significant negative correlations between teacher experience and the likelihood of dropping out of high school and between drop out probabilities and teachers with advanced degrees. Competing risks analysis show that special education certification for teachers of special education classrooms leads to both higher hazard of obtaining special education diploma and lower hazard of obtaining standard high school diploma. The average treatment effects on the treated (ATT) show that study-defined high quality teacher exposure during high school career leads to lower dropout rate and higher probability of graduating with diplomas.

Keywords: Students with disabilities; high school teacher quality; student drops out; competing risks proportional hazard Cox model; propensity score matching

Teacher Quality and Teacher Mobility (Joint with Tim R. Sass) 2011. the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) Working Paper No. 57. CALDER working paper 57. Featured in Chicago Policy Review, National Council on Teacher Quality.

Keywords: teacher job change; mobility; teacher quality; exit teaching; teacher labor market

School Accountability and Teacher Mobility (Joint with David N. Figlio and Tim R. Sass) 2010. the National Bureau of Economic Research NBER Working paper 16070 . NBER Digest 16070 (Shorter summary). Featured in Newsweek.

Keywords: teacher labor market; school accountability system; quality of teacher