As school district administrators, the authors have observed that too many beginning teachers struggle in their first few years. Questioning the quality of the university teacher preparation programs that supply a majority of their district's teachers, they decided to ask the new teachers themselves how well prepared they felt. A focus group with…

In this wide-ranging interview with Educational Leadership, Stanford University Professor of Education Linda Darling-Hammond discusses the kind of preparation and support new teachers need to survive their critical first years in the classroom. Among her central recommendations are more intensive mentoring that lasts through the first year of…

The attrition rate among schoolteachers in the US reaches alarming proportions as it far outpaces the rate at which new teachers are trained and recruited. The results of an in-depth study undertaken to understand why new teachers leave the profession and the kind of support schools can offer to keep them from doing so are discussed.

Today more than ever, effective schools need to cultivate teacher leadership. Principals must meet multiple demands from many sources; they cannot be expected to be experts in all subject areas; and their tenure in a given school is often shorter than that of teachers. As novice teachers gain experience, they often develop the urge to extend their…

Proposes alternative explanation for teacher shortage. Data suggest that attrition among beginning teachers, largely due to poor working conditions, is the root cause of the teacher shortage. Discusses what schools can do to reduce new-teacher attrition. (Contains 14 references.) (PKP)

Mandel interviewed both new teachers and veteran educators who had mentored first-year teachers in Los Angeles schools to ascertain what kind of information new teachers want during their initial year in the classroom. He discovered that few first-year teachers felt they needed guidance related to state standards and standardized tests. New…

The data received from a survey conducted in six Georgia school districts, partners in the Georgia Systemic Teacher Education Program (GSTEP) is examined and used to help create support and professional development for new teachers. The building of collaborative structures that offer new teachers the chance to interact with more experienced…

By statutory mandate, all first-year teachers in Kentucky receive support and assistance that develop a strong, lifelong career foundation. Legislation in 1985 established a collegial team to induct new professionals and establish a culture of continuing growth for the profession. Internships with meaningful mentoring are keys to success. (MLH)

The most valued means of support and learning cited by new teachers at Poland Regional High School in rural Maine are the collegial interactions that common workspace, common planning time, and common tasks make possible. The school has used these everyday structures to enable new and veteran teachers to converse about curricular and pedagogical…

Examines the on-the-job learning needs of beginning teachers. Discusses research on teacher learning curve and enculturation process. Describes elements of a quality beginning-teacher induction program that involves mentoring and the use of standards. Views induction as an enculturation process. (Contains 11 references.) (PKP)

Asserts that professional development for beginning teachers should begin with induction programs. Describes three exemplary beginning-teacher induction programs: Flowing Wells School District, Tucson, Arizona; Lafourche Parish Public Schools, Thibodaux, Louisiana; and Port Huron Area Schools, Port Huron, Michigan. (PKP)

Reviews research on the characteristics and benefits of new-teacher mentoring programs. (PKP)

A common problem faced by new teachers is lack of supervisory support and learning on the job through trial and error can often dishearten the rookie enough to abandon the job and often the profession. Suggestions are offered on how to redress this problem and a starting point could be the implementation of what the Alliance for Excellent…

One of the most important aspects of NCLB is its demand that states ensure a "highly qualified" teacher for every student. This provision draws much-needed attention to the importance of ensuring equitable student access to high-quality teachers, write the authors. Some aspects of the provision have raised legitimate concerns--including…

A large-scale investigation of the development of 18 new teachers has identified six different types of supportive contacts and six types of nonsupportive contacts that new teachers experience. (Author/MLF)