Professional Development

Most states require that new teachers complete some sort of mentoring or induction program. Within parameters defined by the state, districts decide the details of these programs. At a minimum, districts usually require a brief summer orientation for new recruits and opportunities to work with a more experienced teacher. These experienced teachers are often termed a mentor, although in many cases they operate more like a coach, giving ongoing feedback and advice. Induction programs may require that trained mentors or coaches meet regularly with new teachers and that new teachers have opportunities to observe experienced teachers.

Teacher Contract Database Our database contains information on the length of new teacher mentorship programs and standard orientations and how much additional leave teachers receive for professional development that is not scheduled by the district.

What the research shows

Induction programs vary greatly across states and districts, and there is limited information about the quality and utility of orientation and mentoring programs and their effect on student achievement.

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Education released final study findings from a multi-year, comprehensive study of teacher induction. The report, Impacts of Comprehensive Teacher Induction, found that teachers who received two years of comprehensive teacher induction were able to show gains in their students' achievement by their third year of teaching. However, this was not the case during their first two years in the classroom or for teachers who only received one year of comprehensive induction. The report also found that induction programs, regardless of their length, did not have an effect on other areas of a teacher's professional lives. For example, comprehensive induction did not prove to improve teachers' retention rates or their feelings of satisfaction with or preparation for their jobs (Glazerman et al, 2010). .

A 2006 report by the Public Policy Institute of California, Retention of New Teachers in California, points to the importance of new teacher induction--specifically mentoring--in retaining teachers over time. The report suggests that a strong mentoring program was more effective in retaining teachers than a higher pay scale (Reed et al, 2006).

A study by C. Kirabo Jackson and Elias Bruegmann suggests that the effectiveness of a teacher's colleagues has a positive effect on his/her students. For example, a teacher's students have larger achievement gains in math and reading when he/she has more effective colleagues. These effects are most prominent for new teachers but persist over time (Jackson and Bruegmann, 2009). This suggests that having new teachers associate with colleagues who are effective may have positive impacts.

Works Cited

Glazerman, Steven, Sarah Dolfin, Martha Bleeker, Amy Johnson, Eric Isenberg, Julieta Lugo-Gil, Mary Grider, Edward Britton, and Melanie Ali. "Impacts of Comprehensive Teacher Induction: Final Results from a Randomized Controlled Study." National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (2010).

Jackson, C. Kirabo and Elias Bruegmann ?Teaching Students and Teaching Each Other: The Importance of Peer Learning for Teachers.? American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. 1.4 (2009) ( working paper version)

Reed, Deborah, Kim S. Rueben, and Elisa Barbour. Retention of new teachers in California. San Francisco, CA: Public Policy Institute of California (2006).