This document responds to the components of North Carolina's Excellent Schools Act that pertain to mentoring. The first section includes tools for the selection of mentors: a listing of mentor selection criteria, a mentor nomination form, a faculty survey instrument for mentor candidates, interview questions for mentors, a mentor application form,…

Governor Easley of North Carolina has made a sustained commitment to listening to educators and reforming schools to create the working conditions necessary for student and teacher success. With three iterations of the working conditions survey and about 150,000 responses to critical questions about their workplace, analyses have been consistent…

STUDENT TEACHERS FROM THE 1962-63 GRADUATING CLASS WERE FOLLOWED UP 1 YEAR AFTER GRADUATION. OF THE 535 STUDENT TEACHERS, 83 PERCENT LISTED HOME ADDRESSES WITHIN THE COOPERATING SCHOOL DISTRICTS. AFTER GRADUATION, 74 PERCENT BEGAN TEACHING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 54 PERCENT RETURING TO THE COOPERATING SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN WHICH THEY HAD TAUGHT. OF THE…

A North Carolina study found that first-year teachers moved confidently into block scheduling, rated the block highly, and used 11% more time than experienced teachers to manage classroom discipline problems. Teachers attributed their success to instructional pacing, ability to vary instructional strategies, subject area competency, and…

The North Carolina teacher induction program which involves support teams comprised of a principal, a mentor teacher, and one other teacher educator is described. A five-part Likert scale was used to assess the responses of support teams to their experiences with beginning teachers. Findings are reported. (MT)

Two education professors developed New Teacher Groups to offer a safe place where beginning teachers can voice their concerns, share their joys and frustrations, and help one another deal with problems. Interviews with participants revealed that nearly two-thirds attended for personal and professional support they could get nowhere else. (MLH)

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Teacher Excellence for All Children: Senior Democrat Offers Legislation Featuring Teacher Incentives and Induction…

Prospective teachers spending a year in classrooms... Teachers and professors studying problems that teachers face every day... Teachers co-teaching methods courses with university professors... These are some of the exciting outcomes of university-school teacher education partnerships in North Carolina. Current interest in university-school…

Current teacher induction programs are reviewed. The North Carolina approach, which is based on collaboration between institutions of higher education and local education agencies, is described. The effects of the program on the teacher educators, the mentors, and the beginning teachers are highlighted. (MT)

In this presentation a faculty member at Salem College, shares problems and advantages in the teacher induction program in North Carolina. Revised standards and guidelines for the preparation of educational personnel were adopted by the state in 1983 to establish quality assurance for teachers and administrators in North Carolina. New policies…

Although states have maintained a focus on recruiting and retaining teachers, many schools and districts still face daunting challenges in ensuring a qualified and competent teaching corps. It is particularly difficult for schools considered hard to staff-those with high concentrations of low-performing, low-income students; high teacher turnover;…

This study examined the recruitment of teachers through alternative routes to teacher certification in an effort to address teacher shortage in the state of North Carolina through North Carolina Teachers of Excellence for All Children (NCTEACH), a statewide lateral entry teacher licensure program. Specifically, this study investigated alternative…

By the year 2000, the minority teaching pool is projected to shrink to five percent, although the minority population will increase to one third of school-age students nationally. To help persons entering teaching via alternate routes, Project ACT (Alternative Certification for Teachers), an accelerated alternative licensure program was developed.…

This North Carolina edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the third annual look at state policies impacting the teaching profession. It is hoped that this report will help focus attention on areas where state policymakers can make changes that will have a positive impact on…

This collection of articles gathers reprinted materials on teacher attraction and retention for small and rural school districts. The material is organized in two sections: (1) Attracting and Retaining Quality Teachers and (2) Challenging and Enriching Current Staff. Reprints from a number of publications present strategies for addressing the…