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…

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…

Responding to concerning reports regarding common world language classroom practices failing to meet a communicative standard (Burke, 2011; 2014), acknowledging the critical shortage of teachers in the United States, and reacting to the call by Madel (2020) to leverage teacher leadership to promote pedagogical development within the field, this…

In this paper, we make initial advances towards building an argument for the inclusion of Critical Literacy Awareness within the new Early Career Framework in England. Using illustrative examples from recent research projects, we argue that post-2010 education policy has discursively divided practitioners, structuring relationships between…

Teachers face many challenges in the first years of their careers. Without support and guidance from experienced, highly qualified teacher mentors, the demands of the classroom can overwhelm novice teachers. It comes as no surprise that one-third of teachers leave the profession within their first five years. This policy update draws on research,…

The Dane County New Teacher Project, a consortium of 17 school districts in Wisconsin, believes that new teacher induction is everyone's responsibility. To that end, the group pools resources from member districts to ensure support for new educators as they improve their effectiveness with students, find joy and purpose in their careers, and…

Schools and districts facing teacher shortages often have few options for filling vacant special education teacher positions. Although the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that special education teachers be fully licensed when beginning to teach, many special education teachers receive their certification through…

An estimated 17% to 30% of new teachers in the U.S. leave the profession within their first 5 years of teaching. Some challenges that prompt new teachers to leave the field include stress, lack of appropriate support, and feeling unprepared to handle behavioral and academic issues among their students. Research supports the finding that teachers…

Rural school districts throughout the country face increasing challenges with recruiting and retaining beginning teachers due to job demands that include a lack of mentoring, lower salaries than their urban and suburban counterparts, geographic isolation, requirements to take on additional nonteaching duties, and teaching assignments that include…

Systemic challenges for the Texas teacher workforce result from a large yearly demand for new teachers, exacerbated by high and climbing teacher attrition rates. As a result of these challenges, a large majority of new teachers are now hired before they complete preparation. Assigned disproportionately to students from low-income families and…

Connecticut is one of 29 states that require beginning teachers to complete an induction program to mitigate high turnover and lower efficacy among early-career teachers. Its two-year Teacher Education and Mentoring (TEAM) Program provides guidance to beginning teachers through several mechanisms, including five instructional modules and ongoing…

Connecticut is one of many states that implements an induction program for beginning teachers to mitigate high turnover and lower efficacy among early-career teachers. The state's Teacher Education and Mentoring (TEAM) Program requires beginning teachers to complete five instructional modules, have a certain number of contact hours with a mentor,…