For More Information:
NEA Communications 202 822-7200

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 1999

News Release

NEA Journal Offers Road Map For Helping New Teachers Succeed

Spring Issue of Teaching and Change Promotes Mentors for New Hires

Judie Tetzlaff and Imelda Wagstaff have read the statistics. Nearly a quarter of new teachers drop out during the first five years, and in urban school districts flight from the classroom often reaches 50 percent.

That's why Tetzlaff, Wagstaff and other teaching veterans in Conejo Valley Unified School District joined forces to give new teachers in Thousand Oaks, California, a fighting chance at survival. The district's partnership with United Association of Conejo Teachers produced the New Teacher Mentor Program, designed to sustain new teachers in their first year. This successful effort and other examples of support for teaching rookies are profiled in the Spring 1999 issue of Teaching and Change, the quarterly academic journal from the National Education Association (NEA).

"New teachers need practical, ongoing support in the classroom," said NEA President Bob Chase in a November 1998 column. "Teaching is the only profession that expects novices to fly solo their first day on the job. And that makes absolutely no sense, either for students or teachers."

"Mentoring Beginning Teachers" starts by making the case for mentoring. In the opening chapter, Educational Testing Service examines new teachers' experiences and the significant economic costs, as well as human costs, associated with high rates of new teacher attrition. Additional chapters take a closer look at the California Formative Assessment and Support System for Teachers, a statewide plan that uses formal and informal techniques to guide beginning teachers' growth. An evaluation of this program's training and participants' perceptions are also included.

This issue of Teaching and Change is the first in a series of publications that will be produced by NEA in conjunction with its New Teacher Support Initiative. The goal of the Association-wide effort is to enhance the success of new teachers and reduce new teacher burnout by providing beginning teachers with support in their first and second years in the classroom.

Teaching and Change publishes the experiences and research of classroom teachers and education researchers. The periodical provides a forum for teachers and researchers to share best practices and professional findings. Founded by NEA in 1993, the quarterly journal covers topical education themes and will focus on charter schools, urban education and student standards in upcoming issues.

(Editor's Note: For review copies of the Spring 1999 issue, Mentoring Beginning Teachers, please contact Michael Jones, NEA Communications, at 202-822-7263.)