This digest focuses on the evolution of beginning teacher induction programs over the past two decades, and discusses the reasons why such programs are essential to the professional development of teachers. An overview is presented of existing induction programs, and observed outcomes of these programs are briefly discussed. In considering what…

This digest describes teacher mentoring and its different applications. A list of 10 characteristics and activities inherent in any mentor-protege relationship is provided. A discussion is presented on the ways that mentoring, an essentally informal process, has been formalized in business firms and school systems. In considering the benefits that…

This monograph focuses upon how teacher induction programs affect the professional maturation of the beginning teacher. In a discussion on the elements that make a good induction program, a checklist of eight program characteristics is presented. Four of these show the influence of other professions, and the remaining four apply directly to the…

Reviews the literature concerning part-time faculty characteristics, salaries, recruitment, orientation, and staff development. Provides a bibliography of relevant works selected from the ERIC junior colleges collection. (JP)

Part-time instructors have been increasingly in demand in adult and vocational education. The two greatest benefits an educational program realizes by employing part-time instructors are cost savings and staff flexibility. Part-time employment offers certain benefits to instructors. Particularly drawn to such teaching commitments are semiretired…

This two-page information review explores the controversy over the question of what beginning teachers must know to teach effectively and outlines a tentative definition of "essential knowledge" for first-year teachers. Eleven references are listed. (JD)

This casebook, developed in collaboration with 22 mentor teachers in the Los Angeles (California) Unified School District, provides illustrative vignettes, written by the mentor teachers themselves, of their work with first-year teachers. The vignettes describe the circumstances of each event, its consequences, and the ongoing thoughts and…

Intended primarily for preservice and beginning teachers, this handbook can also be used by inservice teachers, school administrators, and college professors as an aid in helping new teachers meet the challenges of the opening days of the school year. The handbook begins with instructions for getting acquainted with available instructional…

Part-time faculty are essential to the accomplishment of the mission of postsecondary occupational education institutions. A commitment to excellence requires a comprehensive, systematic design for part-time faculty recruitment, development, assessment, and integration into the institution's delivery system. Careful attention to recruitment…

The recruitment, selection, induction, and retention of capable teachers are interrelated processes involving schools' personnel, policies, and organization. This report explores issues surrounding these processes and discusses methods to improve districts' programs. Part I, "Recruiting Teachers," describes the competition for capable…