A Better Beginning:

Helping New Teachers Survive and Thrive

A guide for NEA local affiliates interested in creating new teacher support systems

In the decade ahead, America's public schools will recruit more than 2 million new teachers. Why? School enrollments continue to rise while veteran teachers are retiring in record numbers.

Recruiting all the new teachers needed will be a challenging task. But equally challenging will be retaining these new teachers, because only about 50 percent of new teachers today are choosing to stay in the profession beyond five years.

What is NEA doing to help? NEA is working with organizations such as the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future and Recruiting New Teachers, Inc., to draw public attention to the issue, to get communities thinking about solutions to the teacher shortage, and to mobilize members and allies to create programs and incentives for new teachers. One incentive that research has shown works to recruit and retain teachers is an effective teacher mentoring program.

This guide focuses primarily on teacher mentoring, and we hope you come away with an understanding of the potential power of mentoring programs. Whether you're looking for basic information about mentoring, beginning to think about implementing a mentoring program, or already embarked on such a program and eager to compare notes with your colleagues, this guide can help.

A publication of the NEA New Teacher Support Initiative