Focuses on mentoring as a professional behavior that can address both the quantity and the quality of the teaching force. Argues that recruiting teachers is only a small part of the challenge to place a qualified person in every classroom: retaining good teachers requires a commitment to professional growth, a goal that can be addressed through…

Proposes a radical overhaul of teacher certification (licensure) through, for example, the creation of "competitive certification" zones, expanding alternative certification programs, and improving the content basis of licensure examinations. (PKP)

Describes a teacher mentoring program at Bear River Middle School in Utah, based on interviews with the principal, mentors, and new teachers. Discusses the program's formal and informal characteristics, needs addressed, and areas needing improvement. Asserts that mentoring constitutes an important part of the induction process for new teachers by…

This "Research in Progress" report describes the need to explore how the experiences of teachers following different routes into the profession compare, and how integrated their initial teacher preparation, new teacher induction and early professional development programmes appear to be in practice. The "Becoming a teacher"…

This article is based on the findings of recent research into the experiences of new lecturers at the University of Brighton, UK. Although we initially gathered data for internal purposes, we now know that the issues raised by our project are not unique to Brighton. We therefore wish to share our results with a wider audience, in order to raise…

Beginning educators who have disabilities may have additional challenges to face besides those commonly experienced by new teachers, challenges that are then extended to mentoring programs provided to support them. Are initial difficulties the result of their novice situation, their disabilities, or a combination of the two? What kinds of…

The views of 46 mentors of first-year teachers were obtained regarding practices that they viewed as essential for their success in mentoring teachers. Specifically, they were queried about teacher involvement/support, staff development, administrative support, and resource materials. Almost all of the mentor teachers believed a teacher-mentoring…

To determine teacher working knowledge of transition best practices, the Transition Programs and Services (T-PAS) survey was administered to 2,000 middle and high school teachers and 70 school district transition contacts. Three questions were asked: (a) What barriers exist that hinder the transition process? (b) What effective practices…

The transition from preservice science teacher education programs to the first years of full-time teaching is arguably one of the most critical stages in the professional development of science teachers. This report documents a longitudinal study aimed at enhancing the research base for understanding this critical stage. The research is framed as…

While it is generally acknowledged that the first years of teaching are the most difficult, little is known about the development of subject matter specialists during this period. In order to add to the knowledge in this area, the present study explores the first year of 114 secondary science teachers as they participate in one of four different…

In 2004, the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences contracted with Mathematica Policy Research to conduct a large-scale evaluation of comprehensive teacher induction. The purpose of the study was to determine whether augmenting the set of services districts usually provide to support beginning teachers with a more…

This book contains activities and discussions regarding the essential skills, understandings, and behaviors needed to profit from being mentored. Each chapter provides principles for success and offers suggestions for action. An annotated compendium of publications and Internet sites of interest to new teachers is included. Chapter 1,…

This study examined new teachers' perspectives of the mentoring they were or were not receiving, who their mentors were, types of mentoring they were receiving, and roles played by facilitators at the Teachers College New Teacher Institute (NTI). Data came from focus groups and interviews with nine past NTI teachers, needs assessment focus groups…

This paper reports the results of a literature review on the subject of beginning teacher induction, presenting a conceptually oriented discussion of the induction literature. It examines the multiple meanings associated with induction as a phase in learning to teach, a process of teacher socialization, and a program for beginning teachers. The…

This digest examines considerations and strategies for selecting and retaining teacher mentors, suggesting that the degree to which mentors are meaningfully engaged in the mentoring process may have a significant impact on a program's success. Strategies for recruiting mentors range from opportunistic appointment to promoting self-nomination to…