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The National Education Association's

A Better Beginning

Helping new teachers survive and thrive

Preface

In the decade ahead, America's public schools are going to need to recruit more than 2 million new teachers. Why? The children of baby boomers are swelling school populations to all-time highs at the same time teachers are retiring in record numbers.

Recruiting all the new teachers needed will be a challenging task. Retaining these new teachers will be equally challenging, because only about 50 percent of new teachers today are choosing to stay in the profession beyond five years.

What is NEA doing to help? NEA is working with a number of organizations, including the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future and Recruiting New Teachers, Inc., to heighten the awareness of the problem, to get communities thinking about solutions for the teacher shortage, and to mobilize members and allies to create recruitment programs and incentives for new teachers. One incentive that research has shown works to recruit and retain teachers is an effective teacher mentoring program.

This guide focuses primarily on teacher mentoring, and we hope you come away with an understanding of the potential power of mentoring programs.

Whether you're looking for basic information about mentoring, beginning to think about implementing a mentoring program, or already embarked on such a program and eager to compare notes with your colleagues, this guide can help.

Introduction

Back in 1987, Arizona teacher Kathy Wiebke remembers, new teachers were left on their own as they greeted the incoming Class of 2000.

"It was: 'Here's the key to your room, here's the Xerox machine, here's the books. Now go at it,'" recalls Kathy Wiebke, who works in Paradise Valley.

Wiebke's colleague Ellen James, a new teacher that year, was assigned to a portable classroom on the outskirts of campus. Though her colleagues were a "great resource, very supportive," James describes her first-year experiences as terribly isolating.

"It was a whole lot of learning from mistakes," she says.

Bridgeport, Connecticut teacher Mary Lou Weiner agrees. She still gets butterflies when she recalls her first year of teaching 20 years ago.

"There was no support," says Weiner. "It was just me and 36 fifth graders. The one in the last seat, near the cast iron heater, had a mustache."

It's not that other teachers weren't friendly. There simply was no system in place for Weiner to share, vent, or cut through that feeling of isolation in her classroom.

Most new teachers today still feel isolated. And whether they stay in the profession for the long haul depends a great deal on their ability to "sink or swim" during their vital first year. Fortunately, several factors are pushing an alternative to sink-or-swim induction.

First, classrooms, schools, and communities have all changed. Teaching, driven by new information technologies and the challenge of adapting instruction to the needs and learning styles of students from widely diverse backgrounds, has become incredibly more complex. Parents, meanwhile, have higher expectations, and those expectations are matched by increasing demands from business, media, and political leaders.

There's also an urgent need to hire — and retain in the profession — more teachers. By 2007, the United States will need 2 million new teachers. The ongoing effort to reduce class sizes is also forcing school communities to think far more seriously about the importance of attracting and keeping caring and committed teachers.

Recent studies have found that interest in teaching among college freshmen is now matching the all-time highs experienced in the early 1970s. Many states are working to reinforce this trend, by offering incentives to attract new teachers. But one pressing question remains: What will we do to keep new teachers once we get them?

Stopping the Revolving Door

More than half of new teachers currently leave the profession within five years. Among the many reasons: little on-the-job support. New teachers often get the most challenging assignments. They enter school systems with a dream-like vision, only to come face-to-face with harsh, unexpected realities.

But not all school districts leave new teachers isolated and inadequately supported. Some districts are actively nurturing and mentoring new teachers. A recent U.S. Department of Education study found that new teachers who participate in new teacher induction programs are nearly twice as likely to stay in the profession as those who don't.

As members of the teaching profession, we shape the lives of students who pass through our classrooms. But we also shape the profession itself — its culture, its knowledge base, its standards for practice, and even its future.

We can best impact that future, in all sorts of positive ways, by nurturing new educators. With intensive support, studies tell us, new teachers consistently demonstrate higher levels of professional competence, greater success in working with children, and increased job satisfaction.

Research has also demonstrated what common sense has told us all along: that a critical predictor of student success is teacher quality.

A Tennessee study has found that students who had good teachers three years in a row scored significantly higher on state tests and made far greater gains in achievement than students with a series of ineffective teachers.

Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University has found that the strongest predictor of student performance on national assessments is the state's percentage of well-qualified teachers — educators who are fully certified, with majors in the subjects they teach.

A qualified teacher in every classroom — a teacher who is licensed and teaching in field — is an essential prerequisite for increasing student achievement. By helping new teachers become experienced, by giving them support and encouragement, we significantly enhance teacher quality, teacher retention, and, ultimately, student success.

How and Why the Association Can Help

Our Association is at a crossroads. We can either stand by and let others get their hands into our profession or take control of the situation ourselves. With 2.5 million members — most of whom were once new teachers — our Association is ideally suited to help the profession become stronger.

All across America, new teachers are actively seeking support. They can find some support on the Internet and other support from informal get-togethers with other new teachers. But what new teachers really want is help from their more veteran colleagues.

"When we help our new teachers be the very best, we're showing the public that we have high standards," says Erma LaPierre, a veteran teacher in Massachusetts involved in the Weymouth Teachers Association mentoring program. "Many of us are slated to retire within the next 10 years. Without a new teacher induction program, the things we've all learned and done will just leave with us."

Chris Guinther, an NEA member active in Missouri's Francis Howell School District, agrees: "Establishing new teacher support is our way of continuing excellence in our profession. When new teachers see our members associated with that excellence, they want to be a part of our organization. That makes for a stronger union, a stronger voice for teachers, and improved education for our students."

The New Teacher

Jennifer Gartell was elated when she accepted her first teaching job at Loma Linda Elementary School in Phoenix. It didn't matter that she was hired only a week before school began, or that she had to spend nearly $300 of her own money on classroom supplies to get her classroom ready for the year — she was just eager to make a difference with students. But within a month, Gartell was ready to quit.

"I was totally stressed and the kids knew it," she says.

As a new teacher, Gartell was beginning to realize that she lacked an adequate repertoire of teaching strategies. Her new colleagues were friendly, but few had time to help her.

By the end of the first year, Jennifer's class was "totally out of control." Instead of spending her summer months preparing for her next group of kids, she quit the profession altogether — feeling disillusioned and tired.

Jennifer's story is not a new one — in fact, it's just one of the thousands behind the staggering teacher attrition rate in the United States today. Education Week suggests that the most talented new educators are often the most likely to leave.

In teaching today, the first-year teacher is typically assigned to the same tasks, in and out of the classroom, as a long-time veteran. Novice teachers will sometimes meet the challenge — usually in schools committed to helping new teachers.

But supportive schools tend to be the exception, not the rule. Too many teachers start their careers in environments where closed classroom doors, not open collaboration, set the tone.

"Schools must transform into institutions that nurture new teachers and their students, that sustain teachers and the teaching profession," notes Ellen Moir of the New Teacher Center at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

For beginning teachers, it's no longer about taking the first job that comes along. It's about taking the first job where they feel like they can survive — and eventually thrive.

Who Are Today's New Teachers?

Twenty years ago, Jennifer was your "typical" new teacher: fresh out of education school and eager to make a difference. Today, not all first-year teachers follow that pattern. All new teachers are, naturally, new to the profession, but many are hardly new to the world of work. Some come from successful careers in business, law, or the military. Others are former stay-at-home moms whose kids are now older.

Most new teachers do preservice preparation programs in college. Others get "emergency" or "provisional" licenses. In Los Angeles alone, three out of four teachers hired this year did not have certification.

According to Market Data Retrieval's Public Education Profile, one in every five teachers this year is new to the job. Of these, almost two-thirds were born after 1973. These new teachers can barely remember life before computers.

Research tells us that novices are more likely than their veteran colleagues to speak a second language, to be single, in debt and financially struggling, to have technology skills, and to have little understanding of or trust in unions.

These new teachers are also more likely to be concerned about parental involvement, know about multicultural issues, and get assigned to tough classes they may not be ready to teach. Like most who enter the profession, they are idealistic and enthusiastic. Upon entering the profession, 93 percent feel all children can learn. After one year in the public school system, 88 percent still feel that way.

What Do New Teachers Need?

At a recent first-year teacher conference hosted by the Connecticut Education Association, new teachers were asked: "How do you think CEA, as a teacher's union, can help enrich your career or the teaching profession?"

The overwhelming response: Help us!

"CEA," noted Lauren Weihl, one new Connecticut teacher, "can give me support and guidance on important issues and help me with my needs as a teacher."

All across the country, new teachers are echoing this message.

"I need help with classroom management issues and lesson plans. I want help in figuring out what I need to do to meet state standards and keep my certification current. And I want professional development opportunities," says James Engels, a first-year teacher in Phoenix. "If the Association can help me with these things, then I'll see value in my membership. In return, I'll want to become active and involved."

A Changing of the Guard

Unions are, for many beginning teachers, an unfamiliar — and even unfriendly — concept.

"A lot of new teachers don't understand the union," says Pam Lillie, a second-year teacher in Armada, Michigan. "So they don't get involved."

Many new teachers, adds fellow young teacher Stephanie Holt, fall for the teacher union "stereotype" that appears so often in the media.

"A lot of new teachers think the union is a bad thing or that they'll be considered a troublemaker if they call the union," says this Grand Rapids, Michigan teacher. "More than anything, new teachers need to know that the union is there to give them a voice and that our opinions really do count."

When veterans take the time and energy to reach out to new teachers and close the gap, everyone benefits.

"I think new teachers are more accepting of people than we give them credit for," says 29-year veteran Judy Romzek, a mentor to Pam Lillie. "We have to reach out to them because we need them to pick up where we leave off."

Consider the dynamic between Lillie and Romzek. The younger teacher says Romzek put a friendly face on the union and encouraged her participation. The result? Lillie now chairs her local Association Political Action Committee.

"I didn't see myself as political," she says. "But then, when I thought about it, I thought I can do this."

Like many new teachers, Lillie struggles to be heard and to be taken seriously by older colleagues, administrators, and even parents. But the Association is helping her find her voice:

"I don't want to be one of those people who complains all the time but doesn't do anything to change things," she points out. "I see now that being involved in the Association is a way to be heard."

Because veteran Romzek took the time to get to know Lillie and her interests, tutored her on the Association's history, and offered her a way to share her views and concerns with others, Lillie is now convinced of the Association's value.

"Next, I think I want to be on the bargaining committee," Lillie says.

With that, Judy Romzek rests easy, knowing that her Association will be in capable hands for many years to come.

Building an Effective New Teacher Support System

By establishing new teacher support systems that welcome newcomers to the profession and help them succeed, we can help reverse the alarming tide of teachers who leave the profession in their first five years — and, simultaneously, raise student achievement.

NEA, working with state and local affiliate leaders, has identified characteristics that make for an effective new teacher support system. As you work with your school district to create your own new teacher program, keep these characteristics in mind. An effective new teacher support system is:

• Designed, established, and funded at the district level.Board of education policy, contracts, and other elements of the program are designed, recognized, and funded at the school district level and supported by state and federal policy and resources.

• Overseen by a committee.A committee jointly appointed by the district administration and Association designs, implements, and oversees the program. Administrators and Association leaders work in cooperation to support the program.

• Available to all new teachers.Support is given to all new teachers, especially to those in their first two years in the profession and the state. Some districts choose to extend support into the third year and beyond.

• Mentor-based.Every new teacher — whether new to the profession, to the state, or to the school district — has access to an experienced teacher mentor who is capable of providing professional support, instruction, and guidance.

• Introduced with a new teacher orientation.All new teachers partake in an orientation before the school year begins to meet mentors, other new teachers, administrators, and learn about the culture of the school, the school district, and the community.

• Mindful of new teacher assignments.New teachers are assigned to teaching situations that are comparatively less challenging with class size, disruptive students, and student skills. They also receive little or no adjunct duties or special activity assignments.

• Supportive of collaborative learning.New teachers are given opportunities to become more skilled in their jobs by collaborating with peers. They are able to observe best practice techniques for assessing students, managing classrooms, involving parents, and using student portfolios and student workgroups. They also have time to work with counselors, reading specialists, media specialists, social workers, and other school staff.

• Sensitive to a new teacher's basic needs.New teachers are provided with relevant information — often in handbook form — about certification and professional development requirements. This information covers student achievement standards, testing schedules, and expectations for local teachers.

• Rich with professional development opportunities.New teachers are offered high quality professional development workshops, as well as ample time for personal growth and reflection.

• Helpful to administrators.Building administrators are given in-depth training about the characteristics of effective new teacher support systems, with particular emphasis on the importance of confidentiality between mentor and new teacher.

Mentoring: The Best Option

Making the transition from student to teacher requires more than learning where supplies are kept and how to keep order in the classroom. A successful transition requires an understanding of policies and procedures, leadership skills, a willingness to learn and share, and a sense of confidence.

That's where mentoring comes in.

Mentoring has a long history. In Homer's Odyssey, Mentor was entrusted to teach Telemachus, the son of Odysseus. Today, some 3,500 years later, mentors enhance prospects for success in many professions — including education.

Teacher mentoring programs have been in place for about a generation. Currently more than half of states in this country require mentoring for entry-level teachers.

Mentoring provides new teachers with support and also helps build long-term relationships that can lead to classroom success. Mentoring programs offer new teachers a practical way to overcome the many hurdles they face in their critical first year.

"My mentor has helped me tremendously, not only on a professional but personal level, too," says Danielle Simms, a middle school teacher in Southern California's South Bay. "I honestly don't know if I'd be here today if it weren't for her guidance and support."

It's in their first year that new teachers adopt the habits that will ultimately determine whether they will continue to teach. According to a 1996 report by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, the lack of guided induction into teaching and isolation cause many beginning teachers to develop undesirable coping mechanisms that thwart their effectiveness and limit learning.

Mentoring can help prevent this downward spiral. In California, a 1992 study by the state's Commission on Teacher Credentialing found mentoring, the most effective approach to supporting new teachers.

But good mentoring is not easily accomplished. Starting a mentoring program inevitably raises a host of difficult issues: the selection of mentors, how mentors and new teachers are assigned or matched to each other, how formal or informal the mentoring relationship should be, how mentors should be rewarded for their contribution, and where the time for mentoring can be found.

By taking the time to address these issues, teacher effectiveness will improve. Ultimately, it is the students — our country's future — who will benefit.

The Mentor's 13 Jobs

Georgia Archibald, a retired teacher from Missouri, describes new teacher mentoring as a process that opens the door to the school community and helps new faculty encounter wisdom from all the teachers in a building.

Those chosen to become mentors navigate new teachers to this open door of wisdom. Mentors help beginning teachers learn about the complex job of teaching and help them feel good about their abilities and ideas. Mentors also convey and uphold the standards, norms, and values of our profession.

Mentors play many roles. A mentor typically functions as:.

• A Counselor — Mentors provide a confidential, candid, and supportive environment that gives the psychological support necessary to help new teachers stay committed to teaching.

• A Teacher — Mentors help new teachers refine their teaching practices and understand the learning needs of all students, especially those students at risk, with special needs, and from diverse cultural and linguistic homes.

• A Challenger — Mentors challenge new teachers to do their best, by assisting them in content areas and helping them obtain professional development training.

• A Coach — Mentors help new teachers improve their classroom teaching, by offering assistance with classroom management and discipline strategies.

• An Observer — Mentors observe new teachers in action and provide timely and ongoing coaching and support.

• A Facilitator — Mentors help new teachers access a broad variety of professional experiences, by arranging meetings with other new teachers and observations of master teachers in action.

• A Trainer — Mentors conduct workshops and other professional development training for new teachers, other mentor teachers, and building administrators.

• A Master — Mentors use current education techniques and are proficient with education technology.

• A Tour Guide — Mentors help orient new teachers to both the workplace and the culture of the community, by supporting and facilitating meaningful parent and community involvement in and with the school.

• An Advocate — Mentors advocate for new teachers by offering their thoughts and ideas in ongoing and annual assessments of the mentoring program.

• A Role Model — Full-time mentors demonstrate to new teachers the importance of "classroom connection" by returning to their own classrooms within three years.

• A Reporter — Mentors share the success of the mentoring program with all who will listen and report frequently to the joint oversight committee.

• An Equal — Mentors do not supervise. They serve as peers and colleagues to new teachers.

What Do Mentors Need to Succeed?

Two words help summarize best what mentors need to succeed in their new role: training and support.

"We must remember that the mentor role is a new one for classroom teachers," says Ellen Moir, director of the New Teacher Center at the University of California at Santa Cruz. "Mentoring requires careful training and lots of ongoing support."

In Missouri's Francis Howell School District, mentors are trained at the beginning of the year and are then visited individually and with their mentees throughout the year by a full-time release teacher whose job it is to help oversee the mentoring program.

In Arizona's Glendale Union High School District, mentors receive three weeks of training and planning time during the summer. They also participate in monthly planning and informational meetings throughout the school year.

Mentoring training can happen at a variety of different levels. Some programs schedule multiple days for training both mentors and new teachers.

Some programs provide mentors with ready access to the counsel of higher education faculty. Others provide mentors with common office space, which allows them to meet with each other on a regular basis, discuss coaching strategies, share instructional resources, and plan additional ways to help their new teachers.

Matching Mentors with New Teachers

Every new teacher support system is unique, but there is one constant: Success often lies in the selection and matching process of mentor and new teacher.

"A carefully chosen mentor from the same grade level or subject area is vital," says Carol Kolbe, fourth grade teacher in Whitehall, Michigan. "The mentor probably should be a volunteer instead of administrator-assigned and should be close by within the building. This is a good place for the Association to become involved." —

In programs where mentors are selected on their interest and enthusiasm for forming relationships with new teachers, everyone benefits.

Similarly, after the mentor selection process, program coordinators must match mentors with new teachers on the basis of school site, grade-level experience, curriculum content, and specialization, such as bilingual education or special education.

Where Mentoring Works: Real Examples

New Teacher Mentoring

Manchester Education Association

Manchester, New Hampshire

Contact: Ellen Healey, Manchester Education Association president

(603) 668-5326, ext. 710

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"We've been planning this new teacher mentoring program for three years, but the excitement around it is still contagious," says Manchester Education Association President Ellen Healey.

Healey spent much of 1997 trying to help the district superintendent, principals, and school board understand the need for a new teacher support system. After months of organizing, Healey finally had everyone she needed on board, and, in 1999, she attended "Challenge of Change" conference with the town's mayor, school board members, parents, the district superintendent, and some building principals.

At the conference, the Manchester team worked together to develop a mentoring model. Their first charge: form an oversight committee to run the program. Committee members now include leaders from the Association, an administrator, a second-year teacher, the district assistant superintendent, a representative from the mayor's office, a school board member, and two assistant principals.

This committee developed a formal application process and, from it, chose nine teachers to pilot the mentoring program the following fall. They also worked with the University of New Hampshire to develop an in-depth training course for the mentors, which currently meets once a week. The university is developing more courses for the mentors and will offer a mentoring certificate to those who complete 15 credit hours.

The district has committed substantial dollars for the program, but specifics remain to be bargained into the local's next contract. Healey is hoping that at least half of the mentors will be released full-time from their classroom duties for at least one year. The district and Association have agreed upon a yearly stipend for mentors — a set percentage of the base salary, about $3,800 per year. As the base salary increases, so will the stipend.

The Manchester program will provide ongoing workshops for new teachers.

"We are committed to providing activities for new teachers, especially after we saw their excitement after the 'I Can Do It' workshop," says Healey. "They wanted to know when the next workshop would be. When there's that kind of anticipation, you have to follow through. There's an obvious need here we can help fill. How can we not get involved?"

New Teacher Mentoring

NEA-North Kingstown

North Kingstown, Rhode Island

Contact: Leo Maynard, NEA-North Kingstown President

(401) 268-6255

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Last year, legislators in Rhode Island passed a bill requiring all school districts to provide mentoring to new teachers. In response, North Kingstown school officials reached out to the union — specifically to NEA-North Kingstown President Leo Maynard — for help.

"We had wanted to develop a partnership for some time, but the law is what really pushed us into action," Maynard explains.

Together, the Association and district formed a committee — consisting of Maynard and four other veteran teachers, two new teachers, one building administrator, the district curriculum director, the human resources director, and the pupil personnel director — to take charge of implementing a program.

The committee members attended a workshop sponsored by the state department of education and gathered some good, basic resources to help them get started. They also held a forum for district employees to get input.

"We asked really open-ended questions about what we needed to include to make this a successful endeavor," says Maynard. "The response was overwhelming. The number one issue that kept coming up was time — everyone felt that time had to be given for both mentor and new teacher to work together."

The Association and district eventually agreed to give participants up to three days off, in addition to conference days, to work together and visit other classrooms.

Twenty mentors, chosen from a formal application process, are initiating a "pilot" version of the program this year. They all have at least three years of experience in the North Kingstown district and have completed a two-day mentor training prior to the beginning of school. There is no mentor stipend, but the district has offered each mentor $500 worth of classroom resources as an incentive.

Ultimately, the committee hopes to make it mandatory for new teachers to participate, and assign mentors to new teachers in the same school and grade level on a one-to-one ratio.

"We'll be bargaining the program into our contracts this spring, so for now, we've all operated a little on blind faith," Maynard says. "But I'm not sure I would have done it differently. Our program is what it is because we've been making changes as we go along — kind of a 'work in progress.' I think that's what a new teacher support system should be — where ongoing evaluations are built in and changes are made accordingly."

Peer Coaching

Birmingham Education Association

Birmingham, Michigan

Contact: Joan Kasle, Birmingham Education Association president

(248) 358-4770

Two years ago, after attending an NEA national conference, Birmingham Education Association President Joan Kasle approached her district's superintendent about establishing a new teacher support system. Kasle was inspired by what she had learned at the conference about a joint peer coaching program in Cherry Creek, Colorado.

"It was exactly what we needed," Kasle says.

The district superintendent was impressed, too. So the district and Association formed a joint committee — with four teachers, two building administrators, and two district administrators — to develop a program purpose and plan. The committee then chose two full-time release peer coaches who, along with Kasle and the superintendent, spent four days in Cherry Creek gaining first-hand knowledge about that district's model program.

The peer coaches in Birmingham, both Association members, are now responsible for 15 new teachers each. One works at the secondary level and the other at the elementary. The two were trained in cognitive coaching skills. They do not receive a stipend, but they do receive their regular salary plus pay for overtime worked.

The peer coaches observe all new teachers in the district on a weekly basis and confer with them afterward on an individual basis. They also plan and conduct monthly after-school workshops.

Kasle stresses two important factors for mentoring program success. First, the district must see the program as a priority and come through with funding and resources. Her district completely funds the program and has even published a booklet about it.

The other factor: confidentiality between new teacher and peer coach. Explains Kasle: "Our number one criteria in choosing our coaches was based on their ability to keep new teacher trust. They don't talk about job performance to anyone except the new teachers."

The rewards from mentoring, says Kasle, are abundant.

"The new teachers are joining us because they are seeing first-hand the value of the Association," she says. "They are getting the message we're sending: that we truly care about their success in the classroom and will help them in anyway we can."

Sums up Kasle; "This is what I want people to remember me for. I'll be retiring next year, and this, by far, is my greatest achievement."

Peer Mentor Program

Manitowoc Education Association

Manitowoc, Wisconsin

Contact: Bob Jome, Manitowoc Education Association President

(920) 683-4861 ext. 6239

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"We've been informally mentoring new teachers for years now," says Manitowoc Education Association President Bob Jome. "But in the last year that informality has turned into a serious undertaking."

Both the Association and district are feeling an urgent need to help new teachers succeed. Wisconsin lawmakers recently passed tough new standards for teachers, and the state is expected to soon implement a policy that would require new teachers to assemble examples of their work before they could be fully certified.

"That's why a main part of the relationship between mentors and new teachers in our program centers around helping new teachers put together a portfolio," says Jome.

To help new teachers feel comfortable in front of the camera — important because a video is part of the portfolio requirements — mentors in Manitowoc tape their new teacher at least once per quarter and then, together, discuss and evaluate what they see on the video.

Mentors and new teachers also consult with each other on a weekly basis and are given up to five days of release time to visit each other's classrooms throughout the school year. They also participate in a one-day training during the summer and spend the week before school begins setting up their classrooms and getting to know each other.

Mentor teachers are nominated by their peers or nominate themselves. The ultimate decision on who mentors is made by the Association leaders and administrators who sit on the district's Mentor Steering Committee. Mentors receive a $600 stipend.

Jome, a mentor himself, is thrilled that such a significant emphasis has been placed on the mentor program.

"Becoming a mentor is one way to pay service to our profession, to keep it viable," he says. "It demonstrates to everyone how committed we are to making sure every child has a quality teacher. That is a strong and very important message to convey."

Beginning Teacher Network

Francis Howell Education Association/Missouri-NEA

St. Charles, Missouri

Contact: Chris Guinther

(636) 926-8643

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When Chris Guinther transferred from teacher to curriculum and instruction facilitator for the Francis Howell School District in 1993, her top priority became helping new teachers succeed. Since then, she has helped implement a successful new teacher mentoring program as well as a Beginning Teacher Network (BTN), both co-sponsored by the district and local Association.

As part of her job, Guinther visits with mentors and new teachers on a regular basis. She also sits on a Professional Development Committee that oversees the mentoring program. Mentors and new teachers are given up to three release days to meet together, and mentors receive a $350 stipend.

But, says Guinther, the mentoring program wouldn't be such a success if not for the Beginning Teacher Network.

"Mentoring is a great thing, but I think even more powerful is the opportunity to collaborate with your peers, which the BTN encourages new teachers to do," she says. "First-year teachers have told me that it is the isolation of their job that is so demoralizing. They need a place where they can talk confidentially with other new teachers."

At monthly BTN meetings, topics range from motivating students and prioritizing tasks to mainstreaming special education students. Sessions teach both classroom survival skills and life skills such as financial management. Each meeting is facilitated by a veteran teacher, and the conversations that take place are strictly confidential.

"By bringing new and experienced teachers together," Guinther notes, "the beginners start to see that they're not alone, that all teachers feel frustrated and overwhelmed from time to time."

Guinther says the new teacher support is definitely working.

"Many of our new teachers have friends in other districts who are already planning on leaving the profession," she says. "Our beginners credit the mentoring and BTN for helping them stay in the profession. They feel comfortable in the classroom and in their new careers. If they start losing that comfort level, then they talk about it with us. That's what makes the difference."

Teacher Assistance Program

Sweetwater Education Association

Rock Springs, Wyoming

Contact: Linda Merrell, Sweetwater Education Association president

(307) 352-3400

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"We've been constantly revising as we progress," says Sweetwater Education Association President Linda Merrell.

The idea for her district's Teacher Assistance Program (TAP) originated during bargaining in 1997. But the program has evolved substantially since then.

"After receiving federal class size funds last year, which can be designated to fund mentor stipends," Merrell notes, "we revised the program."

Every teacher now new to the district, with less than three years of experience, is assigned a TAP mentor. TAP assistance is also provided to experienced teachers who request help with their professional growth and development.

A committee of seven people runs the program — four appointed by Merrell and the Association and three appointed by the district superintendent. This committee selects mentors, assigns them to participating teachers, provides both mentor and new teachers with training and professional development, and evaluates the progress of each mentor/new teacher pair on an ongoing basis.

Mentors — who are not full-time release — are trained to use a variety of peer assistance techniques like cognitive coaching, clinical observation, and conferencing skills. They are given $1,200 stipends for their work.

Mentors and new teachers must meet together a total of 75 hours — 50 in the first semester alone. Communication can be done via phone, E-mail, and face-to-face contact. Each mentor conducts at least three new teacher observations, and, together, the pairs participate in seven workshops throughout the year.

"By reaching out and getting lots of people involved from the beginning, we received tons of resources that helped us develop our program," says Merrell.

Merrell's local UniServ director provided the planning team with information about mentor programs in other school districts. The NEA local affiliate president in Boulder, Colorado shared copies of its mentoring program proposal. And Association members from Laramie, Wyoming drove three hours to Rock Springs to share their expertise with the Sweetwater fact-finding committee.

"My advice is to reach out and contact those of us who have done mentoring," says Merrell. "There's also great information on the Internet and through the NEA Professional Library. It's definitely worth it."

"Best of the Best" Student Mentor Program

Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Association

Clarksville-Montgomery County, Tennessee

Contact:

Ron Pendergrass, Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Association UniServ director

(931) 358-5744

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Robyn Brumblay, Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Association president

(931) 552-3186

UniServ director Ron Pendergrass. " It focuses on the preparation of pre-service teachers. Many mentor programs are a collaborative effort, but ours goes one step beyond: We also collaborate with a major university."

Now in its second year, the program is supported by NEA Urban Grant funds and aid from both the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and Austin Peay State University. Students who participate apply to the program after their sophomore year and must commit to more than 1,000 hours of classroom observation in two years. In their final semester, students "take over" their mentors' classrooms.

"The time commitment is big, but so is the payoff," says Pendergrass. "Normally students go through 10 or 12 weeks of student teaching and then are thrown into classrooms. Through our program, students are actually being educated in the classroom — like a lab — where they meet most of their core curriculum requirements on the job."

The students are placed in one-to-one relationships with mentor teachers throughout the program and get a small stipend for participating. Mentors receive a $500 stipend per semester as well as adjunct faculty status at Austin Peay, tuition-free graduate courses, and discounts at the university bookstore.

Both mentors and new teachers receive in-depth training about their responsibilities in the program, and everyone involved meets together once per month to debrief and participate in workshops. Mentor teachers, building principals, and university professors all take part in evaluating the students.

"These students are working incredibly hard," says Pendergrass. "It's our hope that they'll get to know us and, with luck, ease right into full-time positions after graduation."

Pendergrass is thrilled with the positive feedback from everyone involved.

"We're currently talking with the state education department to see how we might use our program model as an alternative means to teacher certification," he says. "We're also hoping to use what we're learning to develop a mentoring program for practicing teachers."

New Teacher Mentoring

Paradise Valley Education Association

Paradise Valley, Arizona

Contact:

Gloria Siciliano, Paradise Valley Education Association president

(602) 992-8110

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Paradise Valley Education Association President Gloria Siciliano always knew she wanted a new teacher support system in her district. She also knew getting such a system wouldn't be easy, so she did some legwork before approaching district administrators.

"We knew if we had some money going in," says Siciliano, "administrators wouldn't see a new teacher support program as such a stretch." In 1997, her local applied for and won a $4,000 NEA urban grant.

The local was then able to get a matching commitment from the school district. Local and district leaders went to Seattle and Columbus, Ohio to learn first hand about new teacher support systems.

"We spent several days with Association leaders in each city," says Siciliano. "That was February 1998. It then took us about a year to decide exactly how our program would look and where we would get the funds to make it happen."

The result is the Paradise Valley School District Mentoring program, which officially began in August 1999. The program is mandatory for new teachers.

Five full-time release mentor teachers, or "consulting teachers," meet with new teachers, or "associates," on a one-to-one basis — at least once every two weeks. New teachers are also provided with monthly seminars and monthly newsletters.

Consulting teachers meet with each other once per week to touch base about their progress. All have at least five years experience in the district, in addition to their masters degree or National Board Certification. They have each agreed to return to their classrooms within two years.

"This is so much more than a mentoring program," says Siciliano. "New teachers are getting help in goal setting, lesson planning, and aligning their curriculum with Arizona standards. They also have someone to turn to when they have questions. The result is a stronger teaching force for our kids. Everyone is just thrilled with our progress."

Adds Siciliano: "It's also strengthened the relationship between the district and the Association. I'm now getting 'good news' calls from building principals about how much the consulting teachers are helping the new teachers. That's something I definitely didn't anticipate, but it's a welcome change."

How To Establish A New Teacher Support Program

Want to start your own new teacher support system? Try following this 12-step guide.

1. Get people involved — Identify constituencies you think should be represented in the development process and establish a new teacher support task force or oversight committee. In collaboration with the school district, the committee should seek information about setting up a new teacher support system. The group will then facilitate and coordinate support for new teachers.

2. Survey your members — Determine if there is support for establishing a new teacher support system (see page 27).

3. Educate yourselves — Learn about other new teacher support programs and, if possible, visit with the local Associations involved to get more information.

4. Contact your NEA state affiliate — Alert your UniServ director and state Association. They can help you with additional resources, advice, speakers, and more contact information.

5. Collect data — Familiarize yourself with information about your district, school, and community. Answer the questions posed on page 28.

6. Identify possible constraints — Analyze data collected to identify possible constraints.

7. Design your program — Based on the specific needs in your district, identify the desired outcomes of your program. Clarify your goals by asking yourself what the purpose of mentoring is, conductives needed for successsful mentoring, and what the results of the mentoring program will be.

8. Clarify the role and duties of the mentor teacher — Check out Creating a Teacher Mentoring Program, from the foundation created by NEA, the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education at Internet at www.nfie.org or by calling (202) 822-7840.

• What do mentors have to do to accomplish our program's purpose?

• How much time will they need to do this?

• What are we looking for in our mentors?

• How and who will we select our mentors? Will mentors be trained?

• What incentives will we offer mentors? Will they be compensated? How will we support them in their duties?

• Will mentors be trained?

• How will mentors be matched with new teachers?   

9. Develop and negotiate contract language — Study issues such as: (See page 30 for samples.)

   • The role and purpose of the oversight committee.

   • The purpose, description, and characteristics of your program.

• Selection, role, function, professional development released time, compensation, and tenure of the mentor teacher and the number of new teachers assigned a mentor teacher.

• Reduced workload for new teachers, time to meet with mentors, and time to observe other selected staff working with students.

   • Additional compensation for mentor teachers.

   • Op-out clause without discrimination.

   • A system to assess the effectiveness of the program.

10. Implement a mentor training program — In collaboration with your district, create and deliver a training program for mentor teachers, the oversight committee, and Association building representatives. See sample training agendas, pages 32-33.

11. Get in touch with your new teachers — Host a new teacher orientation to the new teacher support system and introduce them to your district and community. Alert new teachers to the following resources:

• New Teacher Web site.

• NEA state affiliate new teachers materials.

• Copies of significant school district documents such as your contract, leave agreement, field trip policy, teacher evaluation policy, grading policy, requirements for relicensing and tenure, professional development requirements, class size standards, procedures and calendar for administering standardized tests, procedure for securing and using substitute teachers, and handbook of school district resources.

12. Think towards the future — Working with your school district, plan a series of events for new teachers and their mentors throughout the year. Conduct periodic and annual reviews of your program. Share the results with your local university and work as a partner in better preparing education students to enter the teaching profession.

Key Questions To Consider Before You Begin

There is no one program design that meets the needs of every district in every situation. Districts with large numbers of new hires or those experiencing recruitment difficulties may wish to structure their new teacher support systems differently than districts where large-scale turnover is less of an issue.

The following questions will help identify the needs, issues, and concerns of your district, community, and school. Design a new teacher support program based on your answers to:

• What is our current new teacher retention rate? Look at data from the last three to five years to assess how many new teachers are leaving your school or district.

• How are new teachers assigned to classrooms? Are new teachers qualified to teach their assigned classrooms?

• How many teachers are teaching out of their field? How many have "emergency" certification?

• Are new teachers given adjunct duties on top of their teaching assignments?

• Is there a new teacher orientation before school starts? What kind of support are new teachers given throughout the school year?

• Are new teachers given district guidelines, procedures, student standards, and expectations?

• Are resources given to help new teachers with student discipline and classroom management?

• Are teachers given time to collaborate? If not, why?

• How do veterans and new teachers relate? Are veterans responsive to new teacher ideas, concerns, and first year experiences?

• How can the district culture support or undermine a new teacher support system?

• Where will funding and other resources come from — the district or grants?

• What is the perception of the district in the community? Are parents involved in their children's education?

• Is technology available (access to E-mail, online forums, electronic bulletin boards) to support new teacher communication?

The New Teacher Support
Oversight Committee: Role and Function

Every good new teacher support program has a committee that "oversees" design, function, programs, and evaluation. An oversight committee ensures adequate resources for the program and provides it with credibility and purpose.

In places where new teacher support programs are thriving, the oversight committee meets to plan, problem-solve, debrief, suggest improvements, and evaluate the program. Ideally, the committee is half teachers selected by the local education association and half administrators selected by the school district.

The committee administers the program, selects mentor teachers, oversees professional development, secures necessary resources, and more.

Ten Tips for Connecting with Your New Teachers

Even if you're not yet ready to establish a formal new teacher support program in your district, you can — and should — connect with your new teachers. The suggestions below can be implemented on a quick turnaround basis — yet their impact will be very long-term.

By filling this need, the Association becomes appealing to new teachers. And by reaching out to new teachers when they are new to the profession, our Association will benefit for many years to come.

1. Use technology — E-mail, online forums, and electronic bulletin boards for new teachers are easy, inexpensive ways for inductees to share ideas, concerns, and encouragement with each other. They can also be used to communicate with mentors, program directors, and university faculty. Check out Missouri Beginning Teacher Listserv at www.mo.nea.org.

2. Take new teachers on a tour of the district — Before the start of the school year, take new teachers on a tour of your district on school buses. Offer informational sessions on insurance and payroll, membership benefits, classroom management, and the first day of school.

3. Offer professional development training just for new teachers — Host workshops for new teachers on certification, state student standards, and professional development requirements. Consider hosting a Making the Most of a Starting Salary: Financial Planning for Beginners course. Provide new teachers with personal balance sheets, a sample spending and goal chart, investing, tips and retirement advice. Remind teachers of the Association's professional resources.

4. Give new teachers good resource materials — Alert new teachers to state affiliate handbooks for beginning teachers, the NEA Web for new leaders, and other resources at a new teacher orientation.

5. Offer grants to new teachers — Help new teachers obtain their Master's degrees with small tuition grants. See the Missouri NEA Web site for more information: www.mo.nea.org/begtch/grants.html.

6. Sponsor monthly seminars — Encourage new and veteran teachers to discuss issues like assessment or personal health maintenance at monthly seminars. Invite teachers to make presentations and answer questions. Veterans can share their experiences with new teachers.

7. Host an "Idea Exchange" — Once or twice a year host an "idea exchange" meeting where teachers can share information about projects they are working on or challenges they are encountering. Open up the floor for ideas to help new teachers feel comfortable in both offering ideas and asking for help.

8. Sponsor a new teacher "Rookie Club" — Create a "Rookie Club" or new teacher caucus where moral support, resources, and curriculum ideas can be exchanged. An informal peer network allows new teachers to struggle together with common fears and frustrations. Provide refreshments and Association giveaways.

9. Sponsor an Online "Help Me" service for new teachers — Establish an E-mail address where new teachers can request help or advice inside or outside the classroom. Respond on a timely basis, so new teachers get their answers by the next business day.

10. Provide new teachers with a "New Teacher Guide" — Create a "New Teacher Guide" to answer questions about each school, its staff, instructional material and supplies, and planning. Address how copies are made, how to get a substitute, and how to get instructional materials.

Just the Facts: Why We Need
To Help New Teachers Succeed

• By the end of this decade, the U.S. will need 2 million new teachers.

• Currently, more than half of new teachers leave the profession in their first five years.

• New teachers who participate in induction programs are nearly twice as likely to stay in the profession as those who don't.

• Research proves that a critical predictor of student success is teacher quality.

What discourages new teachers?

• Discipline problems

• Unending paperwork

• Unmotivated students

• Public and studentdisrespect for teachers and learning

• Lack of instructionalmaterial

• Late hiring

• Changes in their teaching assignment

• Placement in a field outside their certification

• Lack of familiarity with the types of students they are teaching

• Low pay

• Unsafe schools

• Bureaucratic "red-tape"

Statistics from "Beginning Now: Resources for Organizers of Beginning Teachers, 1999"

Who are the new teachers?

• Almost two-thirds are younger than 27.

• More than a quarter are not fully certified.

• Nearly half — 42 percent — have just finished college and have never taught.

• 34 percent are former teachers who are coming back to the profession.

• The majority are single and in debt.

Statistics from "Beginning Now . . . Resources for Organizers of Beginning Teachers, 1999"

What are new teachers concerned about?

• Getting information about the Association

• Instructional issues

• Preparation time

• Unmotivated students

• Their own evaluations

• Classroom control, management and discipline

• Students with special learning challenges

• Finding resources

• Involving parents

• Time management

• Dealing with physical and emotional stress

From "Beginning Now: Resources for Organizers of Beginning Teachers, 1999"

What will help new teachers succeed?

• Administrative support

• Adequate resources

• Collaboration andcooperative teaching

• Professional development

• Peer mentoring

• Instructional techniques andmanagement routines

• Knowledge of what to expect

• Teacher autonomy

• Participation in decision making

• Performance feedback

• Emotional support

• Observing other teachers teach

• Discussing their teaching with others

• Handbooks with keyinformation

Statistics from "Beginning Now: Resources for Organizers of Beginning Teachers, 1999"

See the  "Better Beginning Tool Kit" for:

• Sample Surveys
• Sample Training Outlines
• Sample Workshop Agendas
• Sample Contract Language
• Additional Resources

5/30/02