Teacher Allocation Policies and the Unbalanced Distribution of Novice and Senior Teachers across Regions in Turkey

Abstract

Policies toward fostering a more balanced distribution of teacher quality have garnered considerable attention from researchers and policymakers around the world. This attention has been motivated largely by the widely acknowledged educational goal of providing quality education for all children. Equipped with similar policy concerns, this study examines the initial assignment of novice teachers and voluntary transfer of senior teachers to determine whether there is any kind of sorting pattern in the allocation of novice and experienced teachers to schools across regions, particularly across provinces, in Turkey. Using the entire initial teacher assignment and voluntary teacher transfer data in between 2010 to 2014, the descriptive and correlational analyses in this study provide clear evidence that both novice and senior teachers are unevenly allocated across regions. The findings suggest that already-disadvantaged students in the less-developed eastern regions of the country are far more likely to be exposed to novice and/or less-experienced teachers. Possible explanations of this observed teacher sorting pattern and its policy implications are discussed.