杀戮的天使动漫图片:New Teacher Induction Programs and Policies

compiled by MiddleWeb
Completely updated May 2002

Also see the resources on
New Teacher Induction Programs and Policies

New Teachers OnLine -- An excellent resource for new teachers and their mentors and supporters from the Teachers Network.

A Package of Mentoring Articles and Resources -- "Edutopia" -- an on-line magazine published by the George Lucas Education Foundation -- explores mentoring "as a key professional relationship." Some excellent resources. You can download the Spring 1999 issue on mentoring at this page. Also, GLEF now has a full section on mentoring at its website. Go to this page on "Skillful Teaching" and find the "Mentoring" link.

The Good Mentor -- As formal mentoring programs gain popularity, the need for identifying and preparing good mentors grows, says James Rowley in this May 1999 article in Educational Leadership, which identifies six qualities of good mentors.

The Best Practices of Mentors -- This article from ASCD's Classroom Leadership Online (May 2001) describes the findings of a study of teacher mentoring in the Baltimore County (Md.) Public Schools.

Teaching Worth Celebrating -- Most teachers do not demonstrate the full range of teaching skills and strategies, teacher researcher Pat Wasley writes, "not because they don't want to, but because they have limited images of good teaching." This article looks at mentoring and other strategies that can help insure continuous professional growth. (Educational Leadership, May 1999 - part of a special issue on "Supporting New Teachers".)

"How to Help Beginning Teachers Succeed" -- Second edition of a popular book published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). By Stephen P. Gordon and Susan Maxey. "Provides clear steps to creating an effective Beginning Teacher Assistance Program, with new tips on using mentors, providing ongoing assistance, and inducting veteran teachers who are new to your school."

Mentoring: Research and Resources -- This article from the May 2001 issue of Educational Leadership describes current research on teacher mentoring.

Mentoring the Mentor -- Subtitled, "A Challenge for Staff Development," this article in the Journal of Staff Development (Fall 1996) notes that despite a long mentoring tradition in education, "there is still a lack of information about what defines a successful mentoring program and how staff development contributes to the process." Also see: "The Mettle of a Mentor: What It Takes to Make This Relationship Work for All."

Mentoring Resources from the NSDC Library -- A collection of articles from the publications of the National Staff Development Council. Also see the library collection about teacher learning communities.

A MiddleWeb Listserv Discussion about Supporting New Teachers -- The discussion began when one teacher asked: "How do we support new teachers? I'd like to start a New Teacher Academy--not retired teachers, but teachers who would like to share their thoughts about the real world. Is this feasible?"

"Easing the Way for New Teachers" -- How can schools support novice educators so they not only survive, but thrive?, asks this article in Educational Leadership (February 1998). "Julia Archer was elated when she accepted her first job teaching social studies at Whitman Middle School. She had just completed a graduate-level teacher preparation program at a prestigious university, and she was eager to make a difference with students as a permanent staff member...(but) nothing in her teacher preparation program, including her one-year internship at another school, had prepared Julia for the isolation she would experience during her first months at Whitman."

Teachers Get Help From a "Guide on the Side" -- In an effort to get more teachers on board the "standards train," the Long Beach (CA) Unified School District sent a cadre of teacher coaches into the field during the 1998-99 school year. The talented teachers -- and the district -- learned a lot from the first year of this promising but challenging program. (from Changing Schools in Long Beach, Fall 1999). Also see these related features: Sandy's Coaching Journal and Shelley's Coaching Journal.

Team Mentoring of New Teachers -- Through reciprocal, collegial teaming, new teachers can get valuable mentor support while experienced teachers can share the responsibility and support one another in the process, says this teacher/principal in Classroom Leadership Online (May 1999).

Teacher Research on Effective Mentoring -- The Teacher's Network offers a selection of research articles by teachers that explore teacher preparation and new teacher induction. Also see the section on research about ongoing professional growth and peer coaching.

Mentoring Models for New Urban Teachers -- Consensus is growing that few parts of a teacher's development continuum are as important as the induction years. "Learning the Ropes: Urban Teacher Induction Programs and Practices in the United States" reports the findings of a national study of how large urban school districts -- many dealing with issues of teacher shortage, inadequate training, and high turnover -- are meeting the needs of teachers during the first three years in the classroom. From Recruiting New Teachers, Inc. Read the Introduction, download free executive summary and order the entire study at the website.

A Guide to Developing Teacher Induction Programs (PDF File) -- Build an effective teacher support and assessment program that will help you keep teachers. Download this toolkit from Recruiting New Teachers, Inc.(PDF Format).

Mentor Teacher Handbook -- "A book of practical ideas about mentoring, directed towards the teaching profession." Complete text on-line. Explores the variety of mentor roles, mentor selection, productive mentor relationships, professional development needs, styles and strategies, and "the risks and joys." The author focuses the discussion on "the individualized support, assistance, guidance and optimum amount of challenge which one professional gives to another - whether newcomer or mid-careerist in the profession." (Posted at the University of California-Irvine Graduate School of Education website._

The Mentor Center -- Information about mentoring and induction programs across the United States. This page includes nearly four dozen mentoring categories. Major resource.

Is a good teacher always a good mentor? -- "Being a good teacher does not automatically mean one will be a good mentor; working with adults is not the same as working with children. It is imperative that those responsible for working with adults be aware of the special characteristics of adult learners." From the Journal of the Mentoring Leadership and Resource Network (Winter 1997).

Peer Coaching for Improvement of Teaching and Learning -- "This report focused on teachers and the quality of teaching as the core of student performance. New curriculum, standards, resources/materials, assessments, methodologies, technology, and reforms will not and do not have much impact unless teachers have appropriate access, knowledge, skills and continuous learning opportunities. Teachers require time for reflection, mentoring relationships, collegial interaction, expert role models, and ongoing professional development for any of these changes to be effective." (from the Teachers Network)

Policies to Enable Teacher Collaboration -- This paper, developed for TeachNet by a NYC teacher, looks at "the historical context, or lack of, for teacher collaboration" and examines practices and policies that support and hinder teacher collaboration.

Mentoring the student teacher -- A veteran mentor shares her strategies, drawn from research and her own experiences. One technique: keeping a reflective journal during the student-teaching experience. ("Classroom Leadership OnLine," ASCD, May 1999)

Mentoring for teachers: The collaborative approach -- Summarizes an article by the same name. At the Pathways to School Improvement website. This topic page includes a bibliography.

What makes a good graduate-student mentor? -- This thoughtful list of the characteristics of a good mentor draws on the experience of two university administrators responsible for selecting graduate school professors for an "outstanding mentor" award. Many of the characteristics described here certainly apply to teacher mentors in the public schools.

What kind of person is a mentor? -- This list of the characteristics of a good mentor was developed for adult-youth programs but many of the qualities described apply to adult mentoring relationships as well. Also visit the Mentor 2000 homepage.

Critical Friends Groups -- MiddleWeb teacher diarist Deb Bambino discusses CFGs.

New-teacher columns by Harry Wong -- In these articles at the online Teachers.Net Gazette, new-teacher expert Harry Wong, author of the bestselling The First Days of School, advises inexperienced teachers to move on if "the elements for your support and ultimate success in the classroom were not in place in your school or district." Wong describes the elements of quality induction programs and offers several examples."What Successful New Teachers Are Taught," March 2001, and "How to Recognize Where You Want to Be," April 2001. Also see their story about a school district that has an almost 100 percent retention rate! (May 2002) You can find links to all Wong columns by looking at the bottom of the most recent one.

Boston's teacher coaching model -- In schools all over Boston, change coaches and content coaches are offering principals and teachers the kind of professional development that research says is most effective: ongoing, in school, high quality, focused on instruction. Ellen Guiney provides the details. "Coaching Isn't Just for Athletes: The Role of Teacher Leaders," Phi Delta KAPPAN (June 2001).

"Mentoring Can't Do It All" -- New teachers need more than the assignment of a token mentor, says first-year expert Harry Wong. "If all it takes for a new teacher to succeed is to be given a mentor, then why do we need staff developers and administrators, or their respective organizations for that matter?" Education Week (August 8, 2001).

A Leader's Guide to Mentor Training -- This venerable guide from one of the federally supported education research labs describes a 30-hour training organized into seven modules: preparing mentors for work with beginning teachers; orientation to the mentor role; assisting new teachers; classroom organization and management for new teachers; classroom consultation, observation, and coaching; mentor as staff developer - presentations and in-service training; and cooperation between the administrator and the mentor. Handouts and transparencies are included in the guide, as well as a reference and resource section. WestEd (1990) Also see: The Mentor Teacher Casebook ; Mentoring: A Resource and Training Guide for Educators, and Designing Programs for New Teachers.

Mentoring beginning teachers (PDF File) -- This online research paper examines the mentor-mentee experiences of experienced and beginning teachers. Among its conclusions: "Mentors could provide the model by showing how their struggles to overcome the dilemmas of their practicescould result in worthwhile experiences in which they study and learn about teaching over time.""Adolescent Dancing And The Mentoring Of Beginning Teachers," by Michelle B. Parker. Available as a downloadable PDF file.

Leading the Teacher Mentoring/Induction Program -- This book by consultant Barry Sweney comes recommended by teacher quality guru Linda Darling-Hammond. Skylight Professional Development Books (2000). Also see the mentoring information at this website.

New Teacher Induction Programs and Policies

Keeping New Teachers -- The beginning was awful, Laura recalled, describing her first days of teaching science in an inner-city middle school. It's not that she began with high expectations for professional support: "I assumed that the teachers would be unsupportive, sort of that sink-or-swim mentality. . . . I assumed that I was all on my own, and that it was me or nothing." Yet she was still surprised by the lack of organized induction. So were many others surveyed in this study by Harvard's Project on the Next Generation of Teachers. The research reveals the importance of site-based, ongoing, rich teacher collaboration across experience levels for effective new teacher induction. (Educational Leadership, March 2002)

A Better Beginning: Supporting and Mentoring New Teachers -- Excerpts from the 1999 book of essays, published by ASCD.

Designing New Teacher Support (PDF File)-- A third of beginning teachers quit within their first three years on the job, notes this valuable policy brief from WestEd, "Lifelines to the Classroom: Designing Support for Beginning Teachers." What does it take to adequately support novice teachers? What lifelines can we offer so they will remain in the profession and develop into highly effective classroom educators? (Small, easily downloadable PDF file.)

A Guide to Developing Teacher Induction Programs (PDF File) -- This publication from Recruiting New Teachers, Inc. (2001) offers a toolkit of resources and model program that can help schools and school systems build an effective teacher support and assessment program. (Download the guide in PDF format or order for $24.95 at the RNT website.)

Middle grades certification program -- California State University-San Marcos's innovative middle grades certification program breaks down stereotypes and prepares new teachers for challenges of middle school. "New Teachers Learn How to Reach Middle-Schoolers," San Diego Union-Tribune (June 28, 2001).

Policy Statement on Middle Grades Teacher Certification -- The National Forum to Acclerate Middle-Grades Reform has released its policy statement on teacher preparation, licensure and recruitment. The statement calls for the specialized preparation of middle-grades educators at both the pre-service and graduate levels, and it describes the essential elements of a middle-level teacher preparation program. It also makes a strong case for mandating that teachers who teach at the middle level hold a middle-level teaching certificate. View the statement and supporting resources at this link, including a "tool for advocates" -- a comprehensive list of commonly heard arguments against specialized teacher preparation and their corresponding counter-arguments.

Good induction programs can resolve teacher shortages (PDF File) -- Richard Ingersoll, one of the nation's leading researchers on issues of teacher quality, supply and attrition, offers the modest proposal that the best way to solve the teacher shortage is to strengthen support for beginning teachers and reduce their dropout rate. His careful analysis points to key flaws in school district recruitment and induction programs that drive teachers from the profession. "A Different Approach to Solving the Teacher Shortage Problem," CTP Teaching Quality Policy Brief (#3), Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy, University of Washington, January 2001. (Downloadable PDF file.)

District Policies and Beginning Teachers (PDF File) -- What role do district policies play in the lives of beginning teachers? These researchers followed 10 teachers from their final year of teacher education into their first three years of teaching. In this paper, they examine the role of curriculum, professional development, and mentoring policies in shaping the experiences of three first-year language arts teachers. Read District Policy and Beginning Teachers: Where the Twain Shall Meet, downloadable in PDF format from the Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy, University of Washington (2001).

Quality Teachers: Can Incentive Policies Make a Difference? -- This report from the Southern Regional Education Board looks beyond incentive policies to report on startling data about teacher turnover rates in the first few years of teaching -- and what some states are doing to address the problem.

Linking Retention and School-Based Support -- Staff from Harvard's Project on the Next Generation of Teachers describe research suggesting that the key to addressing teacher shortages lies not in attractive recruitment policies but in support and training for new teachers at the school site. "Retaining the Next Generation of Teachers: The Importance of School-Based Support." (Harvard Education Letter, July/August 2001)

Reduce Your New Teacher Losses -- School districts need to pay as much attention to teacher retention as they do to teacher recruitment, says the Southern Regional Education Board in this report on teacher induction in the Southeast. The report describes key reasons why new teachers abandon the profession in the first five years and describes steps districts and schools can take to make good on their teacher recruitment investments. "Reduce Your Losses: Help New Teachers Become Veteran Teachers." ( June 2001)

Administrators are responsible for new teachers -- Written for California administrators, the central message of this article applies to school leaders across the USA: "We have an obligation to do all that is in our power to insure that new teachers are successful in meeting the needs of their students, and that those who are competent remain in the profession."Supporting New Teachers: A Fundamental Responsibility." The New Teacher Center. University of California at Santa Cruz.

Middle school recruitment and retention -- "New Teacher Staffing and Comprehensive Middle School Reform: Philadelphia's Experience," examines the problem of teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention in the context of schoolwide reform in seven of Philadelphia's 42 middle schools. Philadelphia Education Fund (2000).

Baltimore's New Teacher Institute -- The New Teacher Training Institute is a voluntary four-week summer program for newly hired teachers in Baltimore, Maryland. The institute provides hands-on lessons and much-needed support for new teachers. Story and additional resources. Education World (2000)

Connecticut's model teacher policy (PDF File) -- Connecticut's comprehensive approach to teacher development includes the Beginning Educator Support and Training Program (BEST), a oft-cited national model of teacher induction. This overview of Connecticut's experience includes a description of BEST's evolution toward performance-based assessment of beginning teachers, supported by a structured mentoring program and a year-long seminar for first- and second-year professionals. Downloadable PDF file. CTP Teaching Quality Policy Brief (#4), Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy, University of Washington, June 2001.

Urban partnerships to support new teachers -- This handbook, drawn from the experiences of "Pathways" programs supported by the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, reviews requirements for building essential, ongoing partnerships between teacher education institutions and school districts. Ahead of the Class: Preparing New Teachers from New Sources. The Urban Institute (February 2001)

A model school-based mentoring program -- Montview Elementary School in Aurora, CO, a winner in the National Awards Program for Model Professional Development, has "teacher-leaders" who coach both novice and seasoned teachers. School officials estimate the program costs $50,000 per year, but credit it for big gains in student scores on district assessments and for nearly eliminating achievement gaps between white and non-white students.

The Southeast Center for Teaching Quality -- Resources about teacher quality, mentoring, hard-to-staff schools, and quality induction programs.

ALSO SEE: Some Thoughts About Teacher Mentoring