This report summarizes implementation of the goals and some of the programs managed by the Professional Learning (PL) Department in the 2020-2021 academic year. The PL Department offers a comprehensive and sustainable approach to improving staff's effectiveness by ensuring that a variety of continuous and innovative PL opportunities, aligned to…

The Conditions for Success brief helps programs examine their readiness for implementing new teacher induction by identifying the ideal conditions for successfully implementing teacher induction. Ten program conditions are identified and described with a goal of providing guidance and opportunities for programs that do not have all of the…

The paper focuses on the need for trained mentors in developing new hires in any profession and outlines a developmental theoretical framework as a basis for mentor training. To illustrate the success of trained developmental mentoring, a unique mentoring program called the Kansas Early Career/Mentor Teacher Academy is reviewed. The paper shares…

This qualitative study explores a cohort professional development experience that brought new teachers together every few weeks from across an urban school district. Observation data were analyzed through Wenger's (1998) "Communities of Practice" social learning framework. The purpose was to examine how a cohort can be a valuable resource of new…

The purpose of this program evaluation study was to design, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of incorporating an online learning community as part of a comprehensive new-teacher induction program. The researcher, who serves as the middle school principal and new induction coordinator for the school district, used a mixed-method approach…

Recruiting quality teachers is a top priority for school districts across the country. However, recent research demonstrates that an even greater challenge facing schools is retaining newly recruited teachers, particularly in urban school settings. This article analyzes the effects of two key components of many formal induction programs--mentoring…

For some time, special education has been plagued by shortages of qualified teaching staff and by high turnover rates for these staff. While several factors--external, employment and personal--are largely responsible for this situation, the research demonstrates that the initial professional experiences of early career teachers are closely…

This article discusses the evaluation of a unique university-based early professional development (EPD) programme in England that enabled newly and recently qualified teachers to have continued contact with their initial teacher preparation provider. The programme was designed to enhance the induction, EPD and retention of beginning teachers of…

This study investigates the impact of a mentoring initiative on the performance of ten adjunct instructors new to the faculty of Indian River Community College in east-central Florida. Participants represent a wide range of discipline areas, motivations and demographic characteristics. The mentoring program focused on general pedagogical skills…

The central theme of this article is that teachers' professional development in England is not being taken as seriously as it needs to be. With reference to the induction of newly-qualified teachers and the early professional development pilot schemes, it draws on data from several related pieces of research, to argue that cases of…

This paper provides a critical evaluation of the model of professional development elucidated within the Career Entry Development Profile and induction arrangements for newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in England. In addition, it outlines the findings from a small-scale study of NQTs' professional development during their first year of teaching.…

In the year 2003, the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program (BTSA) will become a mandatory credentialing program for California's new teachers. At a local level, the Riverside, Inyo, Mono, San Bernardino Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program (RIMS/BTSA) is one of 147 BTSA programs. Now entering its eighth year, the RIMS/BTSA…

Interviews with 29 participants in state-mandated mentoring of beginning teachers, school counselors, and school librarians revealed that the most prominent mentor roles were assisting beginners' adjustment to the job and providing feedback. The mentor's role with respect to curriculum and teaching skills was less prominent. Expectations for…

In the fall of 2007, Education Resource Strategies (ERS) was invited by Philadelphia's School Reform Commission to conduct a Strategic Professional Development Review for the School District of Philadelphia (SDP). ERS is a nonprofit organization that is nationally recognized for its extensive work in partnering with urban school districts to make…

The Illinois Community College Board has developed this Provider Manual as an easy reference to: (1) existing laws and regulations, both State and Federal; (2) best practices in the field of Adult Education; and to (3) act as a desk reference for both new and existing program administrators. The Manual describes: (1) the purpose of the Federal…