Curriculum & Instruction / New Teacher Induction

New Teacher Induction Program

Sandy Halpin
Professional Development Specialist
shalpin2@nhart.org

Meggan Alt
Instructional Support Specialist
malt@nhart.org

Why Induction?

Thirty three percent of qualified new teachers leave teaching within the first three years; fifty percent leave within the first seven years. (Schlechty and Vance, 1983).

Ninety five percent of beginning teachers who experience support during their initial years remain in teaching after three years (Colbert and Wolff, 1992).

Evidence suggests that the most academically talented new teachers leave in the greatest numbers (Huling-Austin, 1986).

What is Induction? “Induction is the process of systematically training and supporting new teachers beginning before the first day of school and continuing throughout the first two or three years of teaching.

Its purposes include, but are not limited to:

easing the transition into teaching,

improving teacher effectiveness through training in classroom management and effective teaching techniques,

promoting the district’s culture, and

increasing the retention of greater numbers of highly qualified teachers.” New Hartford’s Induction Program All teachers who are new to our district participate in the induction program for a period of two to three years.

The program has the following goals:

To ensure the personal and professional well-being of beginning teachers;

To increase instructional effectiveness through sound classroom management and based on student results;

To engender the process of self-reflection;

To promote continual professional growth;

To assist teachers in satisfying district and state requirements;

To transmit the culture of the system.

The induction program has several components.

Each new teacher is paired with an experienced teacher who serves as a mentor.

In addition to the mentor, other members of the school community serve as support providers. The Technology Coordinator, the Instructional Support Specialist, the Teachers Center Director, and the Induction Coordinator are all support providers. These colleagues work directly with new teachers in their classrooms, applying effective instruction practices related to the district’s Professional Teaching Standards and district adopted programs.

Through observation and conferencing, support providers give constructive feedback to new teachers to help them identify areas of strength and needed improvement. An additional component of the induction program is a sequence of professional development activities. New teachers participate in training throughout their induction period.