Aguilar Bohorquez, Joseph2023-09-192023-09-192021-05https://hdl.handle.net/11299/256981University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. May 2021. Major: Applied Economics. Advisor: Elton Mykerezi. 1 computer file (PDF); v, 28 pages.The aim of this study is to determine whether the four-day school week affects teacher retention using schedule variation from 11 school districts in Minnesota that implemented this policy between the school years 2001-02 and 2018-19. To do this, I use three different approaches (Generalized Difference-in-Difference, event studies, and duration analysis) and find that there are significant heterogeneous effects. Teachers who start working under the new schedule are more likely to stay than their peers that never worked under this policy. On the other hand, incumbents who had been working on a traditional schedule when the switch happens are more likely to exit after the change. Overall, we do not find evidence that the four-day week has large effects on rural teacher retention, but due to heterogeneous preferences of workers, allowing some districts to use the option may provide opportunities for sorting that increases efficiency in the labor market.eneducational policyfour-day school weekMinnesotarural policyteacher turnoverThesis or Dissertation