Building an Effective New Teacher Support System

By establishing new teacher support systems that welcome newcomers to the profession and help them succeed, we can help reverse the alarming tide of teachers who leave the profession in their first five years — and, simultaneously, raise student achievement.

NEA, working with state and local affiliate leaders, has identified characteristics that make for an effective new teacher support system. As you work with your school district to create your own new teacher program, keep these characteristics in mind. An effective new teacher support system is:

• Designed, established, and funded at the district level. Board of education policy, contracts, and other elements of the program are designed, recognized, and funded at the school district level and supported by state and federal policy and resources.
• Overseen by a committee. A committee jointly appointed by the district administration and Association designs, implements, and oversees the program. Administrators and Association leaders work in cooperation to support the program.
• Available to all new teachers. Support is given to all new teachers, especially to those in their first two years in the profession and the state. Some districts choose to extend support into the third year and beyond.
• Mentor-based. Every new teacher — whether new to the profession, to the state, or to the school district — has access to an experienced teacher mentor who is capable of providing professional support, instruction, and guidance.
• Introduced with a new teacher orientation. All new teachers partake in an orientation before the school year begins to meet mentors, other new teachers, administrators, and learn about the culture of the school, the school district, and the community.
• Mindful of new teacher assignments. New teachers are assigned to teaching situations that are comparatively less challenging with class size, disruptive students, and student skills. They also receive little or no adjunct duties or special activity assignments.
• Supportive of collaborative learning. New teachers are given opportunities to become more skilled in their jobs by collaborating with peers. They are able to observe best practice techniques for assessing students, managing classrooms, involving parents, and using student portfolios and student workgroups. They also have time to work with counselors, reading specialists, media specialists, social workers, and other school staff.
• Sensitive to a new teacher's basic needs. New teachers are provided with relevant information — often in handbook form — about certification and professional development requirements. This information covers student achievement standards, testing schedules, and expectations for local teachers.
• Rich with professional development opportunities. New teachers are offered high quality professional development workshops, as well as ample time for personal growth and reflection.
• Helpful to administrators. Building administrators are given in-depth training about the characteristics of effective new teacher support systems, with particular emphasis on the importance of confidentiality between mentor and new teacher.

Mentoring: The Best Option

Making the transition from student to teacher requires more than learning where supplies are kept and how to keep order in the classroom. A successful transition requires an understanding of policies and procedures, leadership skills, a willingness to learn and share, and a sense of confidence.

That's where mentoring comes in.

Mentoring has a long history. In Homer's Odyssey, Mentor was entrusted to teach Telemachus, the son of Odysseus. Today, some 3,500 years later, mentors enhance prospects for success in many professions — including education.

Teacher mentoring programs have been in place for about a generation. Currently more than half of states in this country require mentoring for entry-level teachers.

Mentoring provides new teachers with support and also helps build long-term relationships that can lead to classroom success. Mentoring programs offer new teachers a practical way to overcome the many hurdles they face in their critical first year.

"My mentor has helped me tremendously, not only on a professional but personal level, too," says Danielle Simms, a middle school teacher in Southern California's South Bay. "I honestly don't know if I'd be here today if it weren't for her guidance and support."

It's in their first year that new teachers adopt the habits that will ultimately determine whether they will continue to teach. According to a 1996 report by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, the lack of guided induction into teaching and isolation cause many beginning teachers to develop undesirable coping mechanisms that thwart their effectiveness and limit learning.

Mentoring can help prevent this downward spiral. In California, a 1992 study by the state's Commission on Teacher Credentialing found mentoring, the most effective approach to supporting new teachers.

But good mentoring is not easily accomplished. Starting a mentoring program inevitably raises a host of difficult issues: the selection of mentors, how mentors and new teachers are assigned or matched to each other, how formal or informal the mentoring relationship should be, how mentors should be rewarded for their contribution, and where the time for mentoring can be found.

By taking the time to address these issues, teacher effectiveness will improve. Ultimately, it is the students — our country's future — who will benefit.

The Mentor's 13 Jobs

Georgia Archibald, a retired teacher from Missouri, describes new teacher mentoring as a process that opens the door to the school community and helps new faculty encounter wisdom from all the teachers in a building.

Those chosen to become mentors navigate new teachers to this open door of wisdom. Mentors help beginning teachers learn about the complex job of teaching and help them feel good about their abilities and ideas. Mentors also convey and uphold the standards, norms, and values of our profession.

Mentors play many roles. A mentor typically functions as:

• A Counselor —Mentors provide a confidential, candid, and supportive environment that gives the psychological support necessary to help new teachers stay committed to teaching.
• A Teacher —Mentors help new teachers refine their teaching practices and understand the learning needs of all students, especially those students at risk, with special needs, and from diverse cultural and linguistic homes.
• A Challenger —Mentors challenge new teachers to do their best, by assisting them in content areas and helping them obtain professional development training.
• A Coach —Mentors help new teachers improve their classroom teaching, by offering assistance with classroom management and discipline strategies.
• An Observer —Mentors observe new teachers in action and provide timely and ongoing coaching and support.
• A Facilitator — Mentors help new teachers access a broad variety of professional experiences, by arranging meetings with other new teachers and observations of master teachers in action.
• A Trainer — Mentors conduct workshops and other professional development training for new teachers, other mentor teachers, and building administrators.
• A Master — Mentors use current education techniques and are proficient with education technology.
• A Tour Guide — Mentors help orient new teachers to both the workplace and the culture of the community, by supporting and facilitating meaningful parent and community involvement in and with the school.
• An Advocate — Mentors advocate for new teachers by offering their thoughts and ideas in ongoing and annual assessments of the mentoring program.
• A Role Model — Full-time mentors demonstrate to new teachers the importance of "classroom connection" by returning to their own classrooms within three years.
• A Reporter — Mentors share the success of the mentoring program with all who will listen and report frequently to the joint oversight committee.
• An Equal — Mentors do not supervise. They serve as peers and colleagues to new teachers.

What Do Mentors Need to Succeed?

Two words help summarize best what mentors need to succeed in their new role: training and support.

"We must remember that the mentor role is a new one for classroom teachers," says Ellen Moir, director of the New Teacher Center at the University of California at Santa Cruz. "Mentoring requires careful training and lots of ongoing support."

In Missouri's Francis Howell School District, mentors are trained at the beginning of the year and are then visited individually and with their mentees throughout the year by a full-time release teacher whose job it is to help oversee the mentoring program.

In Arizona's Glendale Union High School District, mentors receive three weeks of training and planning time during the summer. They also participate in monthly planning and informational meetings throughout the school year.

Mentoring training can happen at a variety of different levels. Some programs schedule multiple days for training both mentors and new teachers.

Some programs provide mentors with ready access to the counsel of higher education faculty. Others provide mentors with common office space, which allows them to meet with each other on a regular basis, discuss coaching strategies, share instructional resources, and plan additional ways to help their new teachers.

Matching Mentors with New Teachers

Every new teacher support system is unique, but there is one constant: Success often lies in the selection and matching process of mentor and new teacher.

"A carefully chosen mentor from the same grade level or subject area is vital," says Carol Kolbe, fourth grade teacher in Whitehall, Michigan. "The mentor probably should be a volunteer instead of administrator-assigned and should be close by within the building. This is a good place for the Association to become involved."

In programs where mentors are selected on their interest and enthusiasm for forming relationships with new teachers, everyone benefits.

Similarly, after the mentor selection process, program coordinators must match mentors with new teachers on the basis of school site, grade-level experience, curriculum content, and specialization, such as bilingual education or special education.

Next: Where Mentoring Works: Real Examples