What We Know: New Teacher Induction

The term new teacher induction refers to a structured process of teacher learning, conducted on-the-job, where novices are prepared in stages over the first few years of teaching. Novices in many other professions complete an induction process, although the terms used are often different: a residency in medicine, an internship in architecture, and a clerkship in law.

Well-crafted induction programs can improve teaching quality, stem high rates of teacher attrition, and in doing so, decrease the overall costs of teacher recruitment and retention. A growing body of research demonstrates that comprehensive induction can cut attrition rates by 50 percent, a considerable finding given that fully one-third of teachers leave the profession within the first three years of teaching, and half are gone by the fifth year.[1] Despite this need and the proven benefits of effective induction efforts, only one percent of beginning teachers nationally are receiving comprehensive induction.

Most new-teacher induction programs in America’s public schools are under-conceptualized, under-developed, under-supported, and under-funded. According to a 2005 Education Week survey, only 16 states require and finance mentoring programs for its new teachers.[2]

High quality induction programs costs up to $6000 per teacher per year, and can depend how well state and district funding and other professional development programs are aligned.

Research shows that teachers need five to eight years to master the art and science of teaching and that pre-service teacher education will never “completely pre-train teachers.”[3] Effective induction programs provide novices with an extensive package of classroom-related supports throughout their first three years of teaching.

In high-needs schools, which often rely on disproportionate numbers of inexperienced teachers, mentoring and induction are particularly important. Yet in such schools, it is difficult to find enough experienced teachers to serve as mentors to their novice colleagues. As increasing numbers of NBCTs either transfer into or are developed in these schools, their expertise will be invaluable as they mentor novice teachers and open their classrooms for observation.

While mentoring is often equated with induction, it is actually only one piece of a comprehensive induction program, which provides a broad framework of support and guidance for new teachers. Research consistently indicates that quality induction programs include:

• Trained mentors,
• Pairing with mentors in a similar grade and subject area,
• Common planning time for mentors and mentees,
• Release time for both the mentor and mentee for observations and analysis,
• Ongoing professional development,
• Access to an external network of beginning teachers,
• Standards-based evaluation of beginning teachers and the program itself, and
• Adequate and stable funding.

The Santa Cruz New Teacher Project (SCNTP), developed by the University of California at Santa Cruz, has become a national model for induction programs. The program trains full-time mentors who support 15 new teachers, starting weeks before the school year begins. New teachers are part of an external network established by workshops throughout the year. The induction program focuses on a formative assessment model geared towards the reflection and self-assessment of new teachers.

[1] Richard M. Ingersoll, Why Do High-Poverty Schools Have Difficulty Staffing Their Classrooms with Qualified Teachers? ( Washington , DC : Center for American Progress and the Institute for America ’s Future, 2004).
[2] Education Week (2005). Quality Counts 2005 (No Small Change: Targeting Money Toward Student Performance). Bethesda, MD: Author.
[3] Scherer, Marge. (2001, May). Improving the quality of the teaching force: A conversation with David C. Berliner. Education Leadership, 58(8).