This study investigates the relationship between specific provisions in collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) and the quality and distribution of the teacher workforce.

Specifically, CEDR seeks to answer broad questions about the relationship between CBA provisions and: The quality of teachers newly hired into districts. The flow of teacher quality within districts. The attrition of teacher quality from districts. In order to investigate these questions, the study relies on a unique statewide dataset from Washington State, which includes linkable information about schools, teachers, and students.

This state data is augmented by collecting and coding all of the CBAs in Washington State to allow us to link CBA provisions to observed variation in the quality and distribution of teachers in the state. The link between teachers and students is essential because we plan to utilize value-added modeling techniques to isolate the impact of individual teachers on student achievement from other factors (such as family background or class size) that influence student achievement and obtain estimates of teacher effectiveness.

These estimates will then be used in secondary models that assess the relationship between CBA provisions and the effectiveness and distribution of teachers.