Carroll County New Teacher Induction Champion for Kids “Delivering Support One Teacher at a Time!”

What is Teacher Induction? The purpose of a new teacher induction program is to improve the capacity of schools to attract, induct, and retain talented, enthusiastic, and dedicated teachers.

Why Do We Need Induction? Teacher attrition is a problem with a number of implications, not the least of which is the teacher shortage. Most of teacher attrition is a result of factors such as: inadequate pay, lack of administrative support, poor workplace conditions, student related issues, lack of collegiality with peers, low morale, and amount of time required for the paperwork involved (Bickmore, D. L., Bickmore, S. T., & Hart, L, 2005).

Cutting Attrition Rate Almost half of all new teachers leave the profession within the first five years, creating a difficult model where more teachers leave the teaching profession compared to teachers entering the profession (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003 ).

Comprehensive Induction Comprehensive Induction in Carroll County program includes: New Educator Orientation Mentor Program Support teams (i.e. staff development teacher and mentor training) Workshops for beginning educators Demonstration classrooms/ Courses and Workshops for mentors Evaluation

What the Research Says Comprehensive induction proves most effective at keeping good teachers in the classroom. Studies demonstrate that new teacher turnover rates can be cut in half through comprehensive induction: a combination of high-quality mentoring, professional development and support, scheduled interaction with other teachers in the school and in the larger community, and formal assessments for new teachers during at least their first two years of teaching.

Impact of Sustainable Induction Programs Improved teacher retention and successful induction programs save districts money (cite New Teacher Center, Villar, Measuring the Benefits and Costs of Mentor-Based Induction. Improved teacher retention and successful induction programs ensure increased levels of student achievement (Tapping the Potential, 2004).

Achievement of children goes up! The individual achievement of children is highly dependent on the effectiveness of the teacher, and the impact of ineffective or unqualified teachers across years dooms children to instructional losses that cannot be regained.

Administrator’s Role in Induction “Recruiting, hiring and supporting teachers as they learn how to teach well are at the heart of a principal’s job. Nothing is more important.” Lynn Stuart, Principal, Cambridgeport School, Cambridge, MA