Student diversity in classrooms is on the rise and with it, a need for teachers who recognize the needs of diverse student populations. Teacher retention is a national crisis, with teachers of color at especially high risk for leaving the teaching profession early. This case study describes a collaborative mentoring approach used by a primary…

Research supports teacher preparation programs to recognize stress factors and to assist students and new teachers with effective coping mechanisms. Twenty-five to fifty percent of beginning teachers resign during their first three years of teaching (Fleener, 2001; Roulston, Legette, & Womack, 2005). Among all the causes, stress from teaching is…

The Mentor Teacher Induction Project (MTIP) was designed to address the needs of beginning teachers during their "induction" into the teaching profession, and to increase the retention of new teachers in the profession. The central research question addressed by the project was: What will be the effect on beginning and student teachers…

This brief examines the underlying research-based rationale for the American Federation of Teachers' (AFT) policy on beginning teacher induction, noting that among the most often-cited reasons young teachers give for leaving teaching is lack of support, and considerable evidence shows that induction is an effective means of retaining them. Five…

As school districts nationwide work to implement the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, they may be inadvertently accelerating the departure of experienced teachers and failing to adequately support new teachers. The Alliance for Excellent Education believes that this problem requires a two-pronged solution: financial incentives for…

Researchers and educators have suggested over the past several years that beginning teacher induction and mentoring programs play a significant role in the development and retention of quality teaching professionals. Induction programs provide the critical support that beginning teachers need as they experience the "reality" of the classroom and…

Believes that mentoring helps new music teachers remain in the profession. Discusses the use of mentoring, focusing on the benefits of mentors for new teachers, mentor programs, and tools for mentors. Includes stories about teachers with mentors as well as a bibliography of resources. (CMK)

Examined relationships between perceived workplace conditions and morale, career choice commitment, and planned retention among first-year teachers. Data from the U.S. Department of Education's School and Staffing Survey indicated that a school culture which supported collaboration and participative decision making most strongly related to higher…

The purpose of this study was to investigate beginning teacher attrition and the factors of collaboration and school setting (urban, suburban, and rural). Quantitative data were collected from present and former teachers in a Midwest state using the researcher-created Collaboration Survey. Building principals and central office staff supplied…

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…

Teacher induction may be defined as the period of transition from student to professional when beginning teachers need supervision and support to adjust to their new roles. Concerns within the profession about the large numbers of beginning teachers leaving the profession during their first 2 years as well as innovative reforms origination from…

This report examines key elements of effective new teacher assessment and support, reviews southeastern states' progress in developing quality induction programs, and offers recommendations for action. More dollars are being invested in new teachers than ever before, and some states have markedly increased the quantity of new teacher support…

Using survey data collected through the Illinois Teacher Study, this report provides results about teachers' satisfaction with their preparation courses and their participation in induction activities. It describes the relationship between participation in specific induction activities, the number of activities in which respondents participated,…

Data on student achievement and background and teacher training, experience, and hiring date, gathered from 400 urban midwestern elementary students and teachers, confirmed that differences in the quality of teachers hired during different time periods (the "vintage" effect) strongly affect the relationship between teaching experience…

This article summarizes research findings related to teacher burnout, examines the literature on induction programs, proposes ways in which an induction program can be an effective means of reducing stress and burnout for the purpose of retaining beginning teachers, and describes a seminar developed as part of an induction program. (IAH)