TY  - JOUR
AU  - Clotfelter,Charles T.
AU  - Ladd,Helen F.
AU  - Vigdor,Jacob L.
TI  - Are Teacher Absences Worth Worrying About in the U.S.?
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 13648
PY  - 2007
Y2  - November 2007
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w13648
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w13648.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Charles T. Clotfelter
Sanford Institute of Public Policy
Box 90245 Duke University
Durham, NC 27708
Tel: 919/613-7361
E-Mail: charles.clotfelter@duke.edu

Helen Ladd
Sanford School of Public Policy
Box 90245  Duke University
Durham, NC 27708
Tel: 919-613-7352
Fax: 919-681-8288
E-Mail: hladd@duke.edu

Jacob L. Vigdor
Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708
Tel: 919/613-9226
Fax: 919/681-8288
E-Mail: jacob.vigdor@duke.edu
AB  - Using detailed data from North Carolina, we examine the frequency, incidence, and consequences of teacher absences in public schools, as well as the impact of an absence disincentive policy.  The incidence of teacher absences is regressive: schools in the poorest quartile averaged almost one extra sick day per teacher than schools in the highest income quartile, and schools with persistently high rates of teacher absence were much more likely to serve low-income than high-income students.  In regression models incorporating teacher fixed effects, absences are associated with lower student achievement in elementary grades.  Finally, we present evidence that the demand for discretionary absences is price-elastic.  Our estimates suggest that a policy intervention that simultaneously raised teacher base salaries and broadened financial penalties for absences could both raise teachers' expected income and lower districts' expected costs.
ER  -