Transitioning from teacher candidate to beginning teacher remains a difficult one despite school districts' efforts to provide mentoring and induction programs. This commentary examines teacher attrition and current practices used to support new teachers entering the profession. We draw on the tenets of characteristics of effective mentorships and…

This paper focuses on the role of public policy in human resources and induction programs to increase the number of Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers (TOCIT). To that end, we provide an overview of the public policy landscape, followed by an exemplar that provides a vision of possibilities currently being enacted. We end by advancing…

Learning Forward is working with states, districts, and schools to develop strong, instructionally focused mentoring initiatives that result in better teaching and learning for everyone involved. Through the customized Mentor Academy, they help systems shift away from traditional "buddy" type mentoring to a program designed to foster…

How do faculty developers orient their new faculty to the available university services, networking opportunities, and the requirements for teaching, research, and service? What examples exist to help faculty developers facilitate professional development opportunities in convenient and flexible learning environments? After the traditional…

When there's a revolving door of staff members in a school or district, leaders have three choices: leave, survive, or thrive. District administrator Elizabeth Dampf says it's possible to thrive despite--or even because of--high rates of turnover. If you want more out of this period in education, take a few cues from Dampf's "playbook of…

In response to the growing demand for special education teachers, St. Vrain Valley Schools district established the Special Education Alternative Licensure Cohort in 2019. This article discusses this induction and mentorship program, tailored specifically to support new alternative and temporary license special education teachers. The program has…

Among the many challenges facing rural administrators, recruiting and retaining teachers is often at the top of the list. Given the time and energy they must invest to successfully attract, recruit, and hire a new teacher, there is a significant need to adopt strategies that will help to retain those new teachers. Rural administrators can support…

Districts and schools in Colorado that have experienced success with retaining teachers through effective strategies in schools with high-need populations and geographic factors associated with lower retention rates are highlighted in this "Bright Spots" report. Representatives from the five schools across three school districts that…

Teacher mentorship programs, where new teachers are paired with veterans, are a research-based practice, but they often lack clarity and can turn into more of a "buddy system" than a true learning opportunity. In this new report, Why New Teacher Mentoring Falls Short, and How to Fix It, NIET shares research and experience that point to…

The Marian Promise combined residency and induction program supports the effectiveness and retention of new teachers in Indiana's Perry Township Schools, MSD of Decatur Township, and Beech Grove City Schools. It does so by integrating the use of research-based teaching standards in coursework and clinical practice, selecting high-quality mentor…

In 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) created emergency licensure to help address teacher vacancies and shortages in Massachusetts districts and schools. Alternatively licensed novice teachers like those who are issued emergency licensure or provisional licensure are entering the classroom with limited…

This book provides an original mentoring/induction framework that spotlights equity in schools. In it, support-accessibility-collaboration-equity (SACE) is presented as a powerful structure for re-imagining mentoring/induction, especially for busy practitioners. Current mentoring models refer to the three pillars of support, accessibility, and…

A collaborative program between a state university and local school districts addresses teacher shortages by providing three levels of support for student teachers.

Administrators often assume new teachers come prepared with the foundational skills required to be effective teachers. Not only is this frequently a false assumption, but some of these skills do also not fully make sense until a teacher has responsibility for a classroom. To assist in the transition process, many teachers will attend orientation…

The Alhambra Elementary School District in Phoenix, Arizona, uses the Standards for Professional Learning to shape and guide their planning and professional learning design, and embeds them in meetings and learning opportunities for district-level directors, specialists, and coaches to ensure they integrate them throughout their work across the…