Making the CaseInvesting in High-Quality Induction Programs for New Educator s
Presentation Discussion Notes
Slide 2We invite you to use all or part of this presentation as you “make the case for high quality induction” to stakeholders in your particular context. We ask that you refrain from modifying the content in any way and give the New Teacher Center (NTC) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, credit as the source of the information. We welcome your feedback, information on how you have used these resources, and ideas for future policy information. Please contact: [email protected].
Slide 3: New Teacher Center MissionThe New Teacher Center (NTC) is the nation’s premier resource for educational policymakers and practitioners interested in creating, funding and sustaining high-quality induction and mentoring programs for new teachers. Its mission is to improve student learning by supporting the development of an inspired, dedicated, and highly-qualified teaching force.NTC policy staff work closely with federal and state policymakers, government agencies, school district officials, advocacy organizations, teacher unions, colleges and universities, researchers, and other key education stakeholders to inform the design of robust policies focused on supporting novice educators. As appropriate, assistance also is provided to help policymakers address school issues closely related to induction—such as professional teaching standards, licensure, teacher formative assessment, compensation, evaluation, working conditions, and school leadership.
Slide 4: PurposeThe purpose of this presentation is threefold. First, it seeks to define what constitutes high-quality induction. Second, it seeks to demonstrate how induction can enhance teacher retention, strengthen student achievement, develop teacher leadership, and save schools and districts money. Third, it aims to make the case for financial investments in and stronger public policies focused on high-quality induction for new educators.This presentation reviews the evidence about why high-quality induction programs are an efficient and effective use of public resources. This evidence should help to convince policymakers to invest in such programs. Equally important, it also makes the case for public policies that strengthen the quality of induction programs, maximizing their beneficial impact on educators and the students they teach.
We invite you to use all or part of this presentation as you "Make the Case for High Quality Induction" to stakeholders in your particular context.
We ask that you refrain from modifying the content in any way and give the New Teacher Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz, credit as the source of the information.
We welcome your feedback, information on how you have used these resources, and ideas for future policy information.
• Demonstrate how high-quality induction can:– Enhance teacher retention
– Strengthen student achievement
– Develop teacher leadership
– Save schools and districts money
• Make the case for why policymakers and school leaders should invest in and create policies focused on high-quality induction
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Slide 5: The Importance of Teacher QualityTeacher quality is the most important school-related influence on student learning. The quality of a child’s teacher influences how much she learns and how prepared she is academically to succeed in subsequent grades.What Matters Most: Teaching for America’s Future, the influential report of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, released in 1996, made teaching the core of its “three simple premises” in its blueprint for reforming the nation’s schools: • What teachers know and can do is the most important influence on what
students learn. • Recruiting, preparing, and retaining good teachers is the central strategy for
improving our schools. • School reform cannot succeed unless it focuses on creating the conditions under
which teachers can teach and teach well.The benefits associated with being taught by good teachers are cumulative. Research indicates that the achievement gap between students with most effective teachers and those with least effective teachers widens each year. This suggests that the most significant gains in student achievement will likely be realized when students receive instruction from good teachers over consecutive years.Sources • Darling-Hammond, Linda. (2000). Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: A Review of State Policy Evidence. Tempe, AZ: Education Policy Analysis Archives, Arizona State University.• National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. (1996). What Matters Most: Teaching for America’s Future. New York, NY.• Sanders, W.L., & Rivers, J.C. (1996). Cumulative and Residual Effects of Teachers on Future Student Academic Achievement. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee.
Slide 6: Teacher Induction Is NeededWhy should federal and state policymakers care about teacher induction? Why can’t schools and school districts just figure this out for themselves?Efforts to improve teacher quality are often thwarted by the high rates of attrition—with more than 40 percent of public school teachers leaving the profession within their first five years on the job and rampant turnover commonplace in schools serving high percentages of students from low socio-economic or linguistically, culturally, and/or ethnically diverse backgrounds. Such levels of attrition have significant consequences for our nation’s schools. Further, it is not the least-qualified, but the most promising teachers that leave the profession and the hardest-to-staff schools at the highest rates. No Dream Denied, the January 2003 report of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF), identified teacher retention as the real school staffing problem. It said it was as if we were “pouring teachers into a bucket with a fist-sized hole in the bottom.” This revolving door of staff and the loss of potential talent inhibit the ability of schools to develop human capital, create strong instructional programs, and create educational environments where kids can thrive. While some level of attrition may be desirable, high levels of turnover among the best new teachers significantly impede our efforts to provide a high-quality education for all students. There is a huge financial cost to teacher attrition. The National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future estimates that the nation loses $7.3 billion annually due to teacher turnover. This represents billions of lost taxpayer dollars due to inefficiencies in our system and our inability to hold onto teachers.
• Teacher quality is the most significant school-based factor impacting student achievement
• The impact of teachers on student learning is cumulative
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The inability to retain new teachers has a significant fiscal impact on school budgets as well. For example, Houston Public Schools lose $35 million in costs related to teacher turnover, while New York City Public Schools lose about $115 million each year. Further, a 2000 Texas Center for Education Research study estimated the annual cost of that state’s teacher attrition rate at between $329 million and $2.1 billion. The Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession in Washington State found that it requires $42,000 of taxpayer money to replace every new teacher who leaves the profession. In Washington, that’s $21 million lost every year. Schools that serve our neediest students are the least likely to have highly effective veteran educators in the classroom. Inequitable teacher distribution fuels achievement gaps and educational inequality, given the causal relationship between teacher quality and student learning.Sources • Alliance for Excellent Education. (2005). Teacher Attrition: A Costly Loss to the Nation and to the States. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.• Barnes, Gary; Crowe, Edward; and Schaefer, Benjamin. (2007). The Cost of Teacher Turnover in Five School Districts: A Pilot Study. Washington, DC: National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future.• Boyd, Donald; Langford, Hamilton; Loeb, Susanna; and Wyckoff, James. (2005). Explaining the Short Careers of High-Achieving Teachers in Schools with Low-Performing Students. Pittsburgh: American Economic Review.• Curran, Bridget and Goldrick, Liam. (2002). Mentoring and Supporting New Teachers. Washington, DC: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices.• Guarino, Cassandra; Santibanez, Lucrecia; Daley, Glenn; and Brewer, Dominic. (2004). A Review of the Research Literature on Teacher Recruitment and Retention (prepared for the Education Commission of the States). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.• Loeb, Susanna and Reininger, Michelle. (2004). Public Policy and Teacher Labor Markets: What We Know and Why It Matters. East Lansing, MI: The Education Policy Center at Michigan State University.• National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. (2007.) Policy Brief: The High Cost of Teacher Turnover. Washington, DC: NCTAF.• National Council on Teacher Quality and U.S. Department of Education International Affairs Office. (2004). Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers: Background report for the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.• Podgursky, Michael; Monroe, Ryan; and Watson, Donald. (October 2004). The Academic Quality of Public School Teachers: An Analysis of Entry and Exit Behavior. Oxford, U.K.: Economics of Education Review.• Whisnant, Elizabeth; Elliott, Kim; and Pynchon, Susan. (July 2005). A Review of Literature On Beginning Teacher Induction. Tacoma, WA: The Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession.
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Slide 7: Teachers are not finished products….”Part of the dilemma is that the existing culture in many schools is one where beginning teachers are expected to provide instruction and support student learning at a quality commensurate with, if not exceeding, that of the most accomplished teacher. Beginning teachers are often disproportionately assigned classrooms with high numbers of English language learners, special needs students, remedial classes, or mixed grade levels. At secondary schools some research suggests that new teachers are those most likely to have multiple preparations or be teaching out of their area of licensure. Unlike other professions, where novices are provided with a staged entry into professional practice, new teachers are expected to perform the same duties as their experienced colleague from the very first day on the job.These prevailing practices have created institutional norms that do not recognize that first-year teachers are simply that—first-year teachers who are just beginning to practice a complex and demanding craft where experience and on-the-job learning are essential to the advancement of one’s professional skill.As the NCTAF No Dream Denied report states: “Teachers are not finished products when they complete a teacher preparation program.” Regardless of how comprehensive or experientially-based their preparation might have been, teachers in their first classroom face an overwhelming number of complex problems. Often these issues must be dealt with quickly and, in the traditional system, without anyone to turn to for advice. Faced with a multitude of problems and a lack of support, new teachers often become disillusioned, and many bright and talented new teachers are driven out of the profession. We agree with the NCTAF report’s recommendation that “well-planned, systematic” induction programs for new teachers be created “to maximize their chances of being successful in any school setting, but it is especially critical in high-need schools.” Guided entry into teaching—via residencies and mentored induction—should become a standard feature of every high-quality approach to teacher preparation and professional development.Source:• National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. (2003). No Dream Denied: A Pledge to America’s Children. Washington, DC.• Wechsler, M., Tiffany-Morales, J., Campbell, A., Humphrey, D., Kim, D., Shields, P., & Wang, H. (2007). The Status of the Teaching Profession 2007. Santa Cruz, CA: The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning.
Slide 8: Equity Demands That We ActThe need for quality induction is nothing less than an issue of economic, social, racial, and linguistic equity. Unless we pay attention to the revolving doors of urban classrooms and the developmental needs of the passionate, talented, and committed new teachers who choose to work in them, we are running the risk of widening the achievement gap that already exists in America’s schools. The challenge of how to support the retention and further development of quality new teachers is not restricted to urban classrooms, however; issues of equity as they relate to teacher distribution and teacher assignment exist in many, many of our schools—suburban, rural, and urban.In general, research has shown that beginning educators are less effective than their more experienced peers. Teachers with more than five or more years in the classroom seem to demonstrate greater effectiveness than beginning teachers. But new teachers are disproportionately assigned to the most challenging schools and classrooms which are more likely to be populated by low-income and minority students. Indeed, poor and minority students are about twice as likely to have teachers with less than three years of teaching experience. Despite good intentions,
Teachers are not “finished products” when they complete a teacher preparation program.
Guided entry into teaching, via residencies and mentored induction, should become a standard feature of every high quality teacher preparation approach.
No Dream Denied, January 2003 report of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future
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beginning teachers have yet to develop their skills and knowledge. As a result, they are often less effective than experienced colleagues in helping all students learn. Thus, the students most in need of the most highly accomplished teachers are more likely to be taught by the least effective ones. A 2002 analysis found that classes in high-poverty secondary schools were 77 percent more likely to be assigned an “out-of-field” teacher than similar classes in low-poverty schools. The fact that beginning teachers tend to be less effective and are concentrated in schools and districts with large numbers of disadvantaged pupils further exacerbates the achievement gaps that policymakers, school leaders, and teachers seek to eliminate. However, there is hope in action. Studies have shown that achievement gaps begin to close when disadvantaged students have effective teachers for consecutive years.Sources:• Gordon, Robert; Kane, Thomas J.; Staiger, Douglas O. (2006). Identifying Effective Teachers Using Performance on the Job. Discussion Paper 2006-01. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.• Greenwald, Rob; Hedges, Larry V.; and Laine, Richard D. (1996). The Effect of School Resources on Student Achievement. Washington, DC: Review of Educational Research.• Jerald, Craig D. (2002). All Talk, No Action: Putting An End to Out-of-Field Teaching. Washington, DC: The Education Trust.• Peske, Heather G. and Haycock, Kati. (2006). Teaching Inequality: How Poor and Minority Students Are Shortchanged on Teacher Quality. Washington, DC: The Education Trust.• Presley, Jennifer; White, Bradford R.; and Gong, Yuqin. Examining the Distribution and Impact of Teacher Quality in Illinois. Illinois Education Research Council.• Rivkin, Steven G.; Hanushek, Eric A.; and Kain, John F. (2005). Teachers, Schools, and Academic Achievement. Princeton, NJ: Econometrica.• Sanders, W.L. and Rivers, J.C. (1996). Cumulative and Residual Effects of Teachers on Future Student Academic Achievement. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Value-Added Research and Assessment Center.
Slide 9: What Is Teacher Induction?One might argue that there is no period as important to a teacher’s career as the first few years of teaching—the period of induction.In her 1999 conceptual Review of Literature on New Teacher Induction, Sharon Feiman-Nemser explains that this term, induction, is actually used to describe three different concepts. First of all, it describes a distinct phase of development that generally encompasses the first three to five years in a novice’s career. This unique (and inescapable) developmental period involves the emerging professional’s first opportunities to apply the theory, observed practices, and scaffolded opportunities that were encountered in the pre-service experience to the day-to-day reality of independent professional practice. For the first time, the beginning teacher is fully responsible for classroom management, lesson preparation, student learning and the assessment of that learning. Feiman-Nemser goes on to explain that induction can also describe the period of socialization and enculturation that takes place as new teachers become oriented to the workplace. Novices not only must learn the routines, procedures, and expectations unique to their school site, but they are also learning norms of behavior and practice—how the professionals in the school community communicate and work together; how and when discussions of teaching practice take place; how teachers relate to the greater school community, etc. This period of socialization can have an important and lasting impact on a new teacher and their approach to teaching, students, colleagues, professional inquiry, ongoing professional learning, as well as the community served by the school.
Lastly, induction is also used to describe the formal program of guidance and support many school districts provide new teachers during these early stages of practice. Induction programs vary greatly and may include any number of components: orientations to school procedures and policies, summer training; an assigned, highly-trained mentor; a site “buddy”; ongoing professional development; new teacher learning communities; etc. What is important to note, however, is that the first two concepts described by the term induction—a phase of development and a period of enculturation—will happen with or without the third (the formal program). Every day new teachers are experiencing the early developmental stages of independent professional practice; how fast they develop and what sort of practices they are learning, of course, varies. Day-to-day interactions with colleagues and observed behaviors are teaching new teachers the norms of the teaching profession as it is experienced at their first school assignment—a set of status quo norms they may carry forward across their career.School districts that thoughtfully develop a robust induction program have a better chance of positively influencing both the types of practices novice teachers develop, and also the rate at which they develop. These programs also represent an opportunity to induct new teachers into a set of professional norms and behaviors that can help define the entire next generation of teachers.The important question then becomes: What sort of induction program do we want to create for our new teachers?Source:• Feiman-Nemser, Sharon, et. al. (1999.) A Conceptual Review of Literature on New Teacher Induction. Washington, DC: National Partnership for Excellence and Accountability in Teaching.
Slide 10: Induction Program Essential ComponentsThe challenge is how to induct large numbers of new teachers in ways that promote high levels of classroom practice and ensures the academic success of all students. Induction programs carry a weighty burden of responsibility. The goal of these programs must be not only to retain teachers, but also to promote ambitious levels of classroom instruction that will help all students be successful. If induction programs are to live up to their potential, five essential components must be in place.
1. Program Vision Induction program leaders must aspire to a vision greater than simply retaining more beginning teachers; instead, they must seek to promote the highest quality of instruction possible. This requires creating new professional expectations and for setting high standards and the organizational systems needed to support every teacher in reaching those levels of accomplishment. It demands program leaders who constantly ask, “What is our vision for teachers and students, and how will our program help us to realize this vision?” New teacher programs must not prepare teachers for mere survival in the complex and demanding world of today’s schools. Instead, these programs must also have as part of their vision, a new image of the successful teacher whose leadership capacity is developed from the moment the teacher enters a classroom. Induction programs have the potential to become one of the most powerful forces for educational change and professional renewal in the history of public education. The opportunity is there, and the most effective programs will be those that clearly recognize this potential.
2. Institutional Commitment and Support Educational leaders must make teacher learning a priority. Institutional commitment can be demonstrated by designing programs that ensure adequate time and resources for new teacher learning and mentor development; by establishing policies that protect new teachers during the critical stage of
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induction; and by making teacher development the centerpiece of educational reform. Clear lines of ongoing communication and strong cooperation between curriculum and instruction divisions and human resources administration can also help this change. Contractually bargained conditions of teacher placement should reflect an understanding of new teachers’ needs and support placements mindful of the novice’s developmental level. This sort of multidimensional collaboration across programs, stakeholder groups, and educational organizations requires careful program coordination. Induction efforts need innovative, full-time program administrators who have the time and resources to focus adequate attention on new teachers. At the same time, successful induction programs demonstrate flexibility and are integrated into school- and district-level reform initiatives.
3. Quality MentoringJust as the classroom teacher is widely considered the essential ingredient for student learning, so, too, is the new teacher mentor the most important feature of any high quality induction program. Quality mentoring requires careful selection, training, and on-going support. Not every outstanding classroom teacher is necessarily a talented mentor. Selection criteria include: strong interpersonal skills, credibility with peers and administrators, a demonstrated curiosity and eagerness to learn, respect for multiple perspectives, and outstanding instructional practice. Supporting new teachers is complex and demanding work, and it involves learning skills beyond those that most classroom teachers possess. It is critical, therefore, that we think not only about what a new teacher needs to be successful but also what a mentor teacher needs to know and be able to do in order to support a new teacher. The pedagogy of mentoring includes an in-depth understanding of teacher development, professional teaching standards, performance assessment, and student content standards, along with strategies for classroom observation and a variety of coaching techniques. This learning occurs most successfully when mentors are given regular opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills and to problem-solve issues of practice.
4. Professional Standards“Buddy systems” and “feel-good” psychological support overlook the enormous instructional impact induction programs can have when they are focused on a teacher’s classroom practice. Clearly-articulated standards of professional practice are essential in helping both the novice teacher and their mentor communicate effectively about and keep all eyes focused on high quality teaching and increased student learning. Successful induction programs recognize that the language and concepts of good teaching must be embedded and modeled throughout the professional environment—in support structures, assessment tools, professional development, mentor preparation, and, when possible, teacher evaluation. It is also imperative that new teacher programs recognize the period of induction (at least two years) as an important and essential phase of teacher learning. Professional standards should be used then to guide new teacher learning and growth in meaningful ways, by helping them engage in a cycle of continuous improvement guided by the ongoing formative assessment of their practices. Professional standards frame this growth process by helping novices frame clear, significant, and achievable goals; reflect upon and articulate successes and challenges; identify effective practices in their own classrooms and others’; guide new learning and next steps; and recognize the complexity of good teaching and the need for career-long professional development. In a developmental context, standards “up the ante” by helping new teachers craft a professional vision of ambitious teaching. However, it is essential that local induction programs ensure that that image of quality teaching also reflects the complexities of teaching in a diverse society. Culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy must be at the heart of every induction program, and new teachers must be constantly supported in examining and responding to the unique needs of their students.
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5. Classroom-Based Teacher LearningSuccessful induction programs embed opportunities for teacher growth into the daily lives of beginning teachers. The most effective mentors are those that intimately know the community, school-site, and classroom context of their novice partners; this enables them to provide support that is responsive to the assessed, individual needs of their beginning teachers. This can not happen in a one-size-fits-all model of support. It requires ample time for observation, collaborative lesson design, model teaching, veteran teacher observation, reflection, analysis of student work, goal-setting, and assessment against professional standards. Furthermore, in the process of providing support based on the assessment of a beginning teacher’s practice, the mentor also models for the novice the importance of designing classroom instruction based on assessed student needs. Effective induction programs help new teachers become on-the-job learners, who are constantly questioning and systematically inquiring into their classroom practice with a focus on student learning. Well-balanced programs of new teacher support also provide opportunities for novices to come together with other beginning teachers to learn from each other and to discuss issues and concerns with those having similar experiences. Strategies for learning together, both inside and outside the school, are widely recognized as important features of professional development. Networking events help promote system-wide values at the same time they help new teachers develop a perspective informed by colleagues in other contexts.Source:• Moir, Ellen and Gless, Janet. (2000). Quality Induction: An Investment in Teachers. Santa Cruz: New Teacher Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Available on NTC web site: http://newteachercenter.org/article1.php.
Slide 11: Program Quality FactorsThere is converging agreement in the policy and research communities as to what constitutes a quality induction program. It includes a rigorous mentor selection process; professional development, training and on-going support for mentors; new teachers matched with mentors whenever possible by grade level and subject matter; and protected time for mentors to meet with and observe new teachers. Other important elements of high-quality induction policy include, but are not limited to:• Universal participation• A multi-year program, spanning at least the first two years of teaching• Full or partial release time for mentors• Formative assessment of new teacher practice• Focus on student work and equitable student achievementThese program components require a substantial investment in the early stages of a teacher’s career. Too often school districts comply with induction mandates by creating programs that miss out on assigning a veteran teacher as a buddy colleague to new teachers. But new teachers don’t have equal access to high-quality induction and mentoring. For example, Susan Moore Johnson found that 61 percent of teachers in high-income schools were matched with mentors at the same grade level as compared with only 28 percent in low-income schools.Sources:• Alliance for Excellent Education. (2004). Tapping The Potential: Retaining and Developing High-Quality New Teachers. Washington, DC.• Center for Strengthening The Teaching Profession. (2007). More Swimming, Less Sinking: A Case for High-Quality Support for New Teachers in Washington. Tacoma, WA.• Johnson, Susan Moore, et. al. (2004). The Support Gap: New Teachers’ Early Experiences in High-income and Low-income Schools. Tempe, AZ: Education Policy Analysis Archives.• New Teacher Center. (2007). High Quality Mentoring and Induction Practices. Santa Cruz: New Teacher Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
• Mentors matched by grade-level and subject-area whenever possible
• On-going professional development for mentors
• Time spent in one-on-one support and assessment of new teacher classroom practice
• Frequency of classroom observation
• Focus on student work and equitable student achievement
• Collaborative, reflective processes
• Select professional development opportunities for new teachers
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Slide 12: Mentoring and Support Cuts Teacher TurnoverOne of the principal benefits of high-quality teacher induction is reduced teacher turnover, enabling schools and districts to hold onto their best and brightest educators.A recent survey of new teachers in Chicago Public Schools shows that teachers who receive intensive induction are much more likely to report a good experience and to remain in the profession. Source:• Kapadia, Kavita; Coca, Vanessa; and Easton, John Q. (2007). Keeping New Teachers: A First Look at the Influences of Induction in the Chicago Public Schools. Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Research.
Slide 13: Mentoring and Support Cuts Teacher TurnoverEven more importantly, especially for many of Chicago’s hardest-to-staff schools, teachers who receive intensive induction and mentoring support are 3-to-4 times more likely to remain teaching in their current school. The Chicago New Teacher Center has seen this impact on Chicago’s South Side where its full-release induction model has strengthened teacher retention. Intensive induction programs can serve as a critical tool for urban school districts that typically evidence disruptively high rates of within-district teacher transfer. Source:• Kapadia, Kavita; Coca, Vanessa; and Easton, John Q. (2007). Keeping New Teachers: A First Look at the Influences of Induction in the Chicago Public Schools. Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago.
Slide 14: Teachers Retained After Six YearsResearch has demonstrated that rates of teacher retention increase as induction programs become more intensive and sustained. This chart displays retention data from three populations of teachers: the United States as a whole, the state of California, and California school districts served by the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project (an intensive teacher induction model). A New Teacher Center study documents that 88 percent of new teachers remain in teaching after six years after participating in the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project. The retention rate increases to 94 percent if teachers who moved into school and district leadership positions are included. Source:• Strong, Michael. (2005). Mentoring New Teachers to Increase Retention: A Look at the Research. Santa Cruz: New Teacher Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz.• Ingersoll, Richard M. and Smith, Thomas M. (2004). Do Teacher Induction and Mentoring Matter? Alexandria, VA: NASSP Bulletin.
Source: Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago, 2007
Teacher Intent to Remain in Their Current School
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Slide 15: Intensive Induction Results in Greater Student Learning GainsHigh-quality induction improves teacher effectiveness and contributes to greater student learning. Two New Teacher Center (NTC) studies have shown that beginning teachers who receive comprehensive induction support for two years are more likely to have classes that achieve reading gains than those that do not receive this support; further, their classes make gains at rates similar to those achieved by veteran teachers.This chart summarizes findings from a NTC study of induction programs in three California districts. All three districts had comprehensive mentoring for teachers in their first year, utilizing full-release mentors and caseloads of 1:15. Only District C retained this model for the teachers’ second year, with District A reverting to a buddy system and District B increasing the mentor-new teacher ratio to 1:35. Students taught by District C’s new teachers showed the greatest achievement gains.Sources:• Fletcher, Stephen; Strong, Michael; and Villar, Anthony. (2008). An Investigation of the Effects of Variations in Mentor-Based Induction on the Performance of Students in California. New York: Teachers College Record.• Strong, Michael. (2006). Does New Teacher Support Affect Student Achievement? Some Early Research Findings. Santa Cruz: New Teacher Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Slide 16: Comprehensive Induction Programs Provide a Positive Return on InvestmentAs the previous slides demonstrate, high-quality induction programs yield cost savings and improved student outcomes. Such programs are an effective public investment. A recent New Teacher Center study goes a step further by measuring the full range of benefits related to induction, demonstrating a significant return on investment from expenditures on high-quality induction programs.Using evidence from one medium-sized California school district, the study describes how every $1.00 invested in a comprehensive induction program provides a return on investment of $1.66 over a period of five years. The analysis includes all major and minor costs for providing high-quality new teacher support, including personnel, indirect costs (facilities, equipment & materials), program inputs (such as room rental and substitute teachers), and client inputs (such as teachers’ personal time). Total costs for a district induction program supporting 119 new teachers are approximately $786,000, representing a per teacher cost of $6,605. Benefits include potential savings to districts in increased teacher retention, increased new teacher effectiveness, and the time savings to principals for reducing the need to monitor beginning teachers. The study compares published state and national retention data with district data for the program. In addition, five years of student test score data are analyzed. Gains in student achievement for new teachers who had been mentored versus veteran teachers who had not previously been in a comprehensive induction program demonstrated that new teachers were, on average, as effective as fourth-year teachers. By looking at the salary differential between beginning and more veteran teachers, this apparent benefit afforded by the induction program is monetized. In total, the study found that 47% of the benefits were attributable to enhanced teacher effectiveness and 17% to turnover cost savings.The study demonstrates that high-quality induction programs provide a positive return on investment both because beginning teachers stay in greater numbers and because those who stay are more effective. Specifically, the study shows that
Comprehensive Induction Programs Provide a Positive Return on Investment
Costs BenefitsMarginal Return on $1 after 5 yrs
Student $0 $1,926
BeginningTeacher
$953 $3,448 $3.61
District $4,813 $9,088 $1.88
State $7,189 $7,080 $0.98
Society $12,955 $21,542 $1.66
Source: Villar & Strong, 2007
Santa Cruz New Teacher Project
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subtraction of per-teacher costs of about $13,000 from the benefits of almost $21,500 results in a return of a little over $8,500 per teacher after five years. When costs and benefits are summed up, the program secures a return after five years of $1.66 for every dollar invested.Sources:• Strong, Michael and Villar, Anthony. (2007). Is Mentoring Worth the Money? A Benefit-Cost Analysis and Five-Year Rate of Return of a Comprehensive Mentoring Program for Beginning Teachers. Alexandria, VA: ERS Spectrum. • Goldrick, Liam. (2007). New Teacher Support Pays Off: A Return on Investment for Educators and Kids. Santa Cruz: New Teacher Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz.• Strong, Michael and Villar, Anthony. (2007). The Costs and Benefits of a Comprehensive Induction Program. Santa Cruz: New Teacher Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Slide 17: Induction Accelerates and Strengthens New Teacher Growth and DevelopmentIn an attempt to illustrate graphically the impact of high-quality induction on new teachers’ growth and development, this slide shows two curves. The dark teal curve represents what may be a typical new teacher’s learning curve during their first several years of teaching. Research, however, demonstrates that high-quality induction can accelerate the rate of professional growth and development for beginning teachers. In fact, a New Teacher Center study finds that the classrooms of first- and second-year teachers who participated in an intensive induction program evidenced student learning gains akin to fourth-year teachers. The light teal curve represents that accelerated growth trajectory experienced by well-supported novices.The shaded area between the two curves, then, represents the impact this jump in effectiveness could have: huge dividends, especially for those students—overwhelmingly low-income and minority—who attend schools staffed by a disproportionate number of new teachers. Yet the benefits are also being accrued by the new teachers, themselves, in that some research suggests that a sense of self-efficacy can positively influence a teacher’s sense of job satisfaction and decision to remain in the profession.As much of this research is emerging, this graph is not intended to be definitive, but to illustrate induction’s potential to increase the effectiveness of teachers in their early years in the classroom and result in greater student learning. It also underscores our earlier points that a program must be intensive, job-embedded and focused on classroom practice to have such an impact. Status quo mentoring and buddy systems currently entrenched in many schools will not transform the classroom practice of beginning teachers.Sources• Fletcher, Stephen; Strong, Michael; and Villar, Anthony. (2008). An Investigation of the Effects of Variations in Mentor-Based Induction on the Performance of Students in California. New York: Teachers College Record.• Strong, Michael and Villar, Anthony. (2007). Is Mentoring Worth the Money? A Benefit-Cost Analysis and Five-Year Rate of Return of a Comprehensive Mentoring Program for Beginning Teachers. Alexandria, VA: ERS Spectrum.
Induction Accelerates and Strengthens New Teacher Growth and Development
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Years of Teaching Experience
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Teachers who participate in a Quality Induction Experience
Teachers who do not participate in a Quality Induction Experience
Based on Emerging Research
Student Learning Gains
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Slide 18: Induction’s Impact on Veteran TeachersWhile we tend to focus on the benefits that induction programs afford beginning teachers, they also have a positive impact on the veteran educators who serve as mentors. Most importantly, they provide an opportunity for classroom teachers to play a leadership role within schools and districts and prepare some for future leadership positions. This is particularly true of induction models that provide release from some or all teaching duties as well as time during the school day to observe new teachers and focus on their professional role as a mentor. In addition, mentor teachers may expand their repertoire of teaching strategies, increase their sense of professional efficacy, broaden their perspective on teaching and learning, increase their appreciation for collaboration and reflective practice, heighten their commitment to the teaching profession, and provide renewed professional vigor.Sources• Hanson, Susan and Moir, Ellen. (February 2008). Beyond Mentoring: Influencing the Professional Practice and Careers of Experienced Teachers. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappan.
Slide 19: Benefits of High-Quality InductionSupporting new teachers is a critical strategy for reducing teacher attrition and strengthening teacher quality. High-quality mentoring and induction can reduce the rate of new teacher attrition, accelerate the professional growth of new teachers, and provide a positive return on the investment through reduced personnel costs and greater student learning.As previously stated, research shows that intensive induction programs markedly improve teacher retention, increase job satisfaction, and increase the likelihood that beginning teachers will continue teaching at their current school. If implemented widely, high-quality induction programs would result in smaller numbers of inexperienced, beginning teachers and a reduced number of beginning teachers employed at hard-to-staff schools. In recognition of the research body on teacher quality, such a transformation could potentially yield a significant closing of the achievement gap as stronger teaching practice takes hold in hard-to-staff schools and the revolving door of teachers slows.The cost of teacher turnover is staggering, estimated at more than $7 billion annually across the nation. Cost-benefit analysis—an analytical approach that has been extremely influential in fueling expanded investments in early childhood education—has emerged in the teacher induction arena. It shows that high-quality induction programs are both an effective and efficient public investment, in part because of a reduction in turnover costs, but more due to accelerated beginning teacher growth and resulting student learning gains. Induction, fundamentally, isn’t only about teachers; it’s also about students.
Slide 20: Lessons for the FutureSimply assigning a mentor to every new teacher does not constitute an induction program nor does it guarantee desired outcomes. Mentors must be carefully selected and trained and given sufficient time to provide intensive, on-going and frequent support to new teachers. Full-time mentors can more readily provide assistance than can full-time classroom teachers who are forced to fit mentoring duties into an already overfilled schedule.Induction must be seen as part of a system of teacher preparation, professional development, and support that spans the entire teaching career. It falls at a critical and formative stage for beginning educators, addresses the school and classroom context that the teacher faces, and can make the difference as to whether these new teachers succeed or fail.
• Mentoring alone does not equal high-quality induction
• Induction needs to be part of a systemic approach to teacher development, recruitment and retention
• States should not just require induction, but also develop quality program standards and provide sufficient funding
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While the majority of states now mandate teacher mentoring, few specify a high-quality, multi-year induction program. Few provide sufficient funding to allow high-quality programs to blossom and sustain themselves. Funding is critical, in particular to ensure that less wealthy districts and schools with larger number of low-income pupils are not left with lower-quality induction program. Arguably, funding for induction is a more effective use of scarce resources than paltry financial recruitment incentives that fail to induce teachers to take and stay in jobs in hard-to-staff schools.Only five states require and fund an induction program of at least two years in length. Research-based best practice suggests that less than two years in an insufficient amount of time to get the job done. Another critical state policy lever is induction program standards that drive high-quality local induction models. The absence of research-based state guidelines on induction can lead to local programs that are ineffective in improving teaching practice or in significantly reducing teacher attrition.
Slide 21: Lessons for the FutureStates and districts also must think about imbedding induction within broader teacher quality structures. For instance, many states have tied induction requirements to teacher credentialing. Other initiatives, such as the Carnegie-funded Teachers for A New Era, look to better connect teachers’ preservice training with their induction experience.Strengthening school leadership—including through the induction of beginning principals—is another worthwhile policy focus. The support of school principals, district superintendents, and state-wide administrators’ associations are critical to growing and sustaining local induction programs and building state policy support and funding for such programs.The New Teacher Center’s Teacher Working Conditions surveys and Teacher Induction surveys can capture teachers’ perspectives on the teaching and learning context school-by-school and district-by-district. They can also be used to measure the impact of mentoring and induction. This data can provide rich information to policymakers and school officials and can further help to weave induction policies more seamlessly within the overall education system—how induction improves working conditions as well as how working condition improvements, independent of induction, help to improve teacher retention.Data provide a rationale for sustaining public investments and for guiding program improvement. Around induction, it is important to capture the impact on retention over time and the broader impact of induction programs on measures such as student achievement.
