Describes Kean University's new faculty mentoring program. Delineates a four-component model: new faculty are assigned to a qualified mentor, protege-mentor pairs are required to have regular developmental meetings, mentors and mentees must observe the other's class, and the mentors and mentees participate in a group dialogue. Provides…

Increasing attention to mentoring in the teaching profession in recent years has been accompanied by a proliferation of programs, literature and expertise related to experienced teachers helping new teachers. To assess the extent to which there is a common set of functions performed by teacher mentors, a two-phase study of mentoring was…

This guide serves as an introduction to the Professional Development Program for Beginning Vocational Teachers. The program has a research base; its overall goal, as outlined in the guide, is to provide a flexible and adaptable mechanism for beginning vocational teachers to have a smoother transition into the field of teaching. The program…

An effort to reform teacher professional development is on a parallel course with the statewide academic standards and assessment system stipulated by the State of Washington's School Improvement Act (House Bill 1209). Five college/university and school district partnerships have been commissioned to develop and field test a new performance-based…

The Teacher Induction Partnerships program was developed by the University of Northern Colorado and several Colorado school districts. The program represents an approach to teacher induction which serves to support beginning and reentry teachers, foster collaborative relationships between the university and school districts, and increase new…

Research begun in 1988 investigated the induction process of beginning vocational teachers. Several research techniques were used in the study: nominal group technique focus sessions, focus group sessions, and individual interviews; daily and weekly tape-recorded logs and site visits; national survey; and exemplary induction assistance programs.…

In conjunction with a national study on the induction process for beginning vocational teachers, researchers developed a general conceptual framework for the classification and analysis of teacher-related phenomena. The framework, called the Teacher Proximity Continuum, has proved useful in analysis of negative influences, positive influences,…

Teaching is a very difficult field to master, and the challenges faced by beginning career and technical education (CTE) teachers are especially great. Teacher induction, which usually takes 5-6 years, is the total of all the teacher's experiences from the moment the first teaching contract is signed until the teacher is comfortably established as…