Novice teacher induction programs impacted teacher fulfillment and confidence (Coffey, 2010; Darling-Hammond, 2003), and high-quality induction improved effectiveness of instruction and improved student learning (Brownell et al., 2010; Potemski et al., 2014; Strong, 2005). Administrators are challenged in their responsibilities to develop…

The purpose of this basic narrative qualitative study was to explore the experiences of first- and second-year teachers and mentors regarding professional learning and new teacher mentoring programs from three highly effective schools in the state of Missouri through personal interviews and related documents. The three highly effective schools…

This report provides a snapshot of school district policies for mentoring new teachers in five Regional Educational Laboratory Central states (Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota). State education agencies collected survey data from school districts on who provides mentoring, how time spent mentoring changes after the first…

Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher recruitment is a challenge that has dogged state CTE leaders for decades. According to a recent survey of State CTE Directors, 98 percent said that increasing access to industry experts is a high priority in their state. And 20.4 percent of rural districts with CTE teacher vacancies report that CTE…

New teacher attrition is a serious problem, with some studies estimating that 50 percent of teachers leave the profession within their first few years. This high attrition rate means that many schools have large number of inexperienced teachers and that districts must spend scarce funds for recruitment and replacement costs. Springfield Public…

Educational leaders have widely implemented mentoring and induction programs to support beginning teachers as they enter the profession. A variety of contextual factors within the mentoring dyad and program may impact the mentoring relationship and subsequent support received by the beginning teacher. The purpose of this study was to describe the…

Like many professions, teaching is forever evolving. Due to several trends in the teaching force within the past forty years, the demographics of public school teachers have changed. Because many baby-boomers have reached retirement age, there has been an exodus of retiring teachers, which in turn has created a large number of open teaching…

Due to increased demands for highly qualified teachers, reported teacher shortages in many areas, and high attrition rates, many schools are employing alternatively certified teachers. There are many recent studies that examine the effectiveness of the alternatively certified teacher compared to those from a more traditional preparation program.…

Monitoring the stress of teachers continues to be important--particularly stress levels of beginning agriculture teachers. The study sought to describe the relationship between beginning teachers' perceived ability to manage their time and their level of stress. The Time Management Practices Inventory and the Job Stress Survey were used to measure…

There has been a significant decline in the amount of priests and brothers who live and work at Jesuit secondary schools in the United States. The presence of Jesuits in the schools shaped the Ignatian identity of the schools' cultures. The Jesuit order, the Jesuit Secondary Education Association (JSEA), and the high schools have recognized that…

Beginning teachers are leaving the profession at an alarming rate, financially draining the nation each year (Gonzales, 2007; National Commission on Teaching and America's Future [NCTAF] & NCTAF State Partners, 2002). One method schools enact to counter this problem is to require beginning teachers to participate in induction programs which…

The first days, weeks and months of the school year can be a daunting time for new teachers and school counselors, especially those coming to teaching or school counseling from industry or other fields. So what can be done to support these teachers and school counselors, and how can educators help them start making connections within their new…

Policy shapes practice, and the increasingly important realm of professional development is no exception. To identify effective professional development policies and strategies, a Stanford University research team examined the policy frameworks supporting high levels of professional development activity in four states--(1) Colorado; (2) Missouri;…

The Comprehensive Teacher Induction Consortium, a group of similar teacher induction programs, has used a highly successful model for over 15 years. Four crucial aspects of that model are a full year of mentored support for first-year teachers, coursework leading to a master's degree, opportunities for sharing with other beginning teachers, and…

Action research, also called classroom or teacher research, has been defined as "systematic, intentional inquiry by teachers". Action research encourages school personnel to systematically develop a question, gather data, and then analyze that data to improve their practice. Over the last 15 years, the complexities of using action…