Examines the probationary year in teacher education, noting that this period of intensive learning can reveal much about the processes of teacher professional development. Probationary teachers can potentially make substantial contributions to their own education, their schools, and the profession provided that there are effective induction…

A survey of 57 beginning teachers in Newfoundland, most of them in rural schools, revealed teachers' needs for inservice education in techniques of classroom and instructional management, and their concerns about teachers' legal rights and special problems related to teaching in small rural schools. Contains 31 references. (SV)

Interviews with 55 new lecturers at an Australian university focused upon early experiences in the institution and attitudes regarding teaching and student evaluations. Among findings were that help in learning about the institution and special consideration in workload favored the more academically qualified while help in solving problems favored…

Discusses problems facing science education supervisors and suggests possible solutions. Comments on the experiences of beginning teachers, portfolio compilation, mentoring, and the evaluation and selection of curricular and technological innovations. (Contains 14 references.) (WRM)

Discusses a study of 23 (response rate 86%) California State University system deans of education, regarding the purpose and usefulness of new faculty orientation programs. Reports that deans generally agreed with the focus of orientation programs and that they perceived orientation to be of value to social integration of the new faculty members.…

Underscores the need for mentoring in the challenging, early years of teaching. Addresses one aspect of mentoring: how informal (or "secondary") mentoring can enhance the formal processes that may be in place in many parts of the country. Describes various informal mentoring processes, including classroom observations and informal conversations,…

A review of recent literature examines the growing shortage of qualified teachers, related to rising enrollments and high teacher turnover; various recruitment strategies; the needs of novice teachers; and well-designed induction and mentoring programs to support and retain new teachers. Sidebars describe efforts to recruit and train new teachers…

In an initiative called Sustaining and Strengthening Teachers, the University of Washington College of Education is partnering with other institutions and with school districts in four states to develop a "more coherent continuum of support" for new teachers. The program includes mentoring and continuing professional development through…

Life in the academy is a complex and difficult journey. Future faculty must learn how to adapt and grow because the landscape of their career and higher education will constantly change. We are honored that Dr. Dan Landers asked us to contribute our thoughts regarding future faculty preparation and the Arizona State University (ASU) Preparing…

Teacher attrition has become a very serious problem in the United States in recent years. Studies have shown that many talented, new teachers are leaving the profession early in their careers due to feelings of isolation. In response to the alarming turnover rate, school districts have adopted mentoring programs which have been successful at…

The attrition rate of 1st-year special education teachers is a mounting concern. Researchers have identified several factors that contribute to the stress that many novice teachers experience and their subsequent attrition. If necessary support from mentors, colleagues, and administrators is not in place, many 1st-year teachers opt to leave the…

Mentoring is often portrayed as an unqualified good. Teacher educators claim that mentoring holds promise for beginning teacher development, increased retention of novice teachers, and mentor-teacher improvement. Drawing on positioning theory, this study describes negotiation of power and position in a failed triad composed of a public school…

In the context of higher education, the role of mentoring new staff is variously established, though often informal. It is sometimes associated with research supervision, but more recently the increasing sophistication of the roles of staff has seen the introduction of "mentoring" to manage induction. In South Africa, a strong motivation…

Changes in the requirements for training primary school teachers in England over the past 12 years have increasingly demanded more involvement from the schools themselves. University departments and schools have developed partnerships to implement these changes and teachers are increasingly finding themselves taking a key role in the training of…

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…