NCAE Position Paper on Supporting New Teachers

North Carolina must offer a formal induction program statewide to aid teachers in their first years with a formal, full-time mentor program designed to address their needs and to offer them supportive, sound professional development opportunities. Context

The issue of primary importance to North Carolina in the coming decade is going to be teacher retention. We are the fifth fastest growing education system in the nation. Between now and 2008, we expect to enroll 42,000 new students to our schools. But our colleges - both in North Carolina and in other states - are not producing enough graduates to handle the influx of students and the new teaching positions that will be necessary.

Our economy's growth and prosperity is straining the education labor force. Public schools have to compete with commercial industry for the best and brightest workers, and commercial industries offer levels of compensation and benefits that employment in public education does not match. In addition, a teacher shortage nationwide means that 49 other states now compete with North Carolina, not only for teaching graduates, but also for our veteran teachers.

Studies conducted in the past two years show that roughly forty percent of our veteran teachers say they will leave the system before they reach full retirement. Twenty percent of our first-year teachers leave teaching within that first year; an additional forty percent of our new teachers leave within the first three years. When they leave, they tell us it is not only because of low salaries, but also because of poor student discipline, a serious lack of resources for the classroom and for professional development, and, in higher grades, the apathy of students toward their responsibilities to learn.

Systems that are hardest hit by retention challenges are poor, rural systems that can least afford to be ignored. Telling systems that they have to fend for themselves is short-sighted, and it is dangerous.

To stem the tide of young teachers leaving the system, we must focus on helping new teachers to develop necessary skills early and well.

The North Carolina Association of Educators believes that teacher induction can be the process that facilitates the meaningful transition of new teachers into the profession. The Association believes that an effective induction process will demonstrate exemplary teaching practices, nurture an understanding of adult and student learning, and foster the development of a professional environment that supports collaboration and inquiry for both new teachers and veteran teachers.

A three-year induction process should enhance teaching skills and promote quality professional development.For new teachers, a formal three-year induction should be mandatory; in their first three years of teaching, initially-licensed teachers should have trained mentors, and their schedules should include planning time to work with mentors in planning and other areas. Lateral Entry teachers should also have trained mentors to assist them as they become experienced teachers.

NCAE believes that a strong induction program for new teachers will begin to solve the state's problems in new-teacher retention. Quality support in the critical earliest years, enhanced training opportunities and regular, personal mentoring will strengthen new teachers and deter them from leaving the profession.

¨Dedicated time for the mentor and mentee to identify areas needing assistance and to develop strategies for addressing those areas;

¨A reflection tool to aid new teachers in understanding how they develop, exercise and maintain strong, positive habits necessary for effective teaching and to facilitate student learning; and

¨An evaluation tool built around the Interstate New Teacher Assessment Support Consortium (INTASC) standards.

One important component for reflection and demonstrating a teacher's understanding of the complexities of teaching is the Performance-Based Licensure Product noted in the 1997 North Carolina Excellent Schools Act. The Performance Based Product directs new teachers in establishing a "bar," incorporating the Interstate New Teacher Assessment Support Consortium standards and it offers strategies for demonstrating strengths in the classroom using the ten adopted INTASC standards.

Standards for becoming a licensed teacher should be rigorous, and the process should be meaningful for the teacher. But equally important is the support provided to the new teacher by on-site, local and state personnel. The Performance-Based Product places ownership for the new teacher's professional growth on the team that supports that teacher.Ideally team members should include the school leader/administrator, mentor, the department chair and or grade level chair, and the initially-licensed teacher. As the new teacher is given time to grow into the profession and reflect on what practices are more and less effective, the teacher and mentor must be given time to develop, pursue and test strategies that enhance the teacher's success in the classroom.

The Performance-Based Product encompasses many important induction components to assist a new teacher.It allows for reflection on lessons that went well and lessons that need modification, and it assists the new teacher in developing strategies for involving parents and the community, relationships that are paramount for a positive classroom environment. As it assesses teacher performance, the product guides the teacher in maintaining or improving programs to reach every learner, to respond to diverse learning styles, and to address unique needs. Overall, the Performance-Based Product and the mentor relationship will help the new teacher gain confidence in his/her skills as a teacher.

There will be teachers who will need more assistance with subject matter while others may need assistance with classroom management. As mentor and mentee work together on building a professional, collegial relationship, the two may reflect and incorporate the ten INTASC standards into their work. Administrators conducting observations should be familiar with the INTASC standards.Thus all administrators need appropriate training to understand the INTASC standards and how they are aligned with the current Teacher Appraisal Instruments. INTASC standards included in the Performance Product provide clear benchmarks for self-assessment and problem-solving for all teachers, especially new teachers and their mentors.

Once the Performance-Based Licensure Product is required of all initially-licensed teachers in the second year, the state should not require a myriad of Praxis tests. The applied Performance-Based Product affords the new teacher opportunities to demonstrate understanding of pedagogy and methods necessary for successful teaching and learning experiences.

To assist with the technology skills of new teachers, the Performance-Based Product needs to be placed on CD-ROM, allowing a teacher to plug in the required evidence for each described task.

Veteran teachers serving as mentors and new teachers in need of skills not learned in college should have opportunities to improve their practice, keep current with education reforms, and gain better insight into how technology can be used as a teaching tool. These professional development opportunities should not be routine or merely require seat time to earn hours. Quality professional development opportunities often require extra time from both the new teacher and the mentor. There are a variety of professional development opportunities for teachers, and one must remember that one size in professional development does not fit all. Teachers, both new and veteran, need access to high-quality professional development opportunities that are designed to

¨help teachers meet the needs of students who come from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds;