NSW Department of Education and Training
Leadership Fellowship 2007–2008
Leadership for quality induction programs to increase
teacher retention and teacher effectiveness
Anne Sheldrick
Principal
Glenfield Public School (2002–2007)
Prestons Public School (2008)
New South Wales, Australia
Published 2008
Leadership Fellowship 2007– 2008
Leadership for quality induction programs to increase teacher
retention and teacher effectiveness.
CONTENTS
Page
Executive summary
3
1. Overview of the research study
4
2. Background information
5
3. Key research questions used
6
4. Research methodology
7
5. Findings
8
6. Implications for the practice of leadership
12
7. Recommendations arising from the research study
13
Bibliography
14
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This study examines leadership for quality induction programs and the effect
that this can have on teacher retention and teacher effectiveness. It includes
the analysis and review of teacher induction programs conducted under the
auspices of the University of California, Santa Cruz in the United States of
America, through its New Teacher Center and the schools associated with this
university. Also studied in New South Wales (NSW), was a group of teachers
who had access to a class-free mentor who supported them as they
embarked on a career in teaching in the NSW Department of Education and
Training.
The study found that teachers in both settings who were supported by a classfree specially appointed mentor felt supported and empowered to become
efficient and effective teachers. Principals and school executive in whose
schools mentors worked with beginning teachers felt that teachers were better
supported and that as school leaders they were then more able to meet the
educational needs of the whole school because of the work of the teacher
mentors.
Recommendations are made that Department conduct a limited trial of a
group of mentors led by an assistant principal across two adjoining districts in
an area of high recruitment of early career teachers.
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1.
Overview of the research study
This work was produced by Anne Sheldrick, a recipient of a Leadership
Fellowship 2007–2008, awarded by the NSW Minister for Education and
Training.
The study examines effective induction programs for beginning teachers and
their implications for leadership in schools in NSW and schools operating in
conjunction with the New Teacher Center of the University of California, Santa
Cruz in the United States of America.
2.
Overview of the research study
I became interested in this area following my first appointment as a principal.
At the start of that appointment a beginning teacher fresh from university was
also appointed to my school. We both took up our appointments on the same
day. The beginning teacher was appointed to an extremely challenging
special education class. This outstanding and talented teacher taught this
class for two years at personal cost to her own health. She then took up a
mainstream appointment and became an exceptional teacher, receiving the
Quality Teaching Award and subsequent promotion. Her replacement on the
challenging special education class was also a fresh out of university
beginning teacher. She remained a teacher on the class until changes in
policy meant that the class was disbanded. Both of these teachers remained
in the school at the time that this research was planned. Their experiences
motivated me to investigate best practice as a leader in supporting new,
inexperienced teachers in order to lessen pressures on them and to help them
to become the most effective teachers that they can be. My other motivating
factor as a school leader was the thought that because of the challenging
situation that these teachers faced, it was very possible that we could have
lost forever two very skilled beginning teachers who possibly had thirty or
more years of excellent teaching ahead of them.
In planning this research, I conducted extensive internet searches. The only
organisation that I could find that was conducting sustained and systemic
work in this area was the New Teacher Center operating from the University
of California, Santa Cruz. The Center’s website www.newteachercenter.org
was most useful. I found that there had been an inquiry in the United Kingdom
but no comprehensive and systemic action to address the needs of beginning
teachers. When conducting a search of universities in NSW, I could not find
one that had this type of “outreach” support to former students or other
beginning teachers.
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3.
Key research questions used
What roles do leaders, particularly principals and mentors, within the schools
play within the induction program and how important is leadership to the
effectiveness of the program?
What are the relationships between the schools and the university’s induction
program?
What do beginning teachers see as the benefits of a mentor program that is
structured to assist them in their early years of teaching?
4.
Research methodology
Within NSW:


Interviewing current Assistant Principals who have been appointed as
teacher mentors and newly appointed teachers in their programs in
order to determine the effect of school leadership on the success of
their programs. Interviewing Early Career Teachers consultant.
Interviewing principals of schools that have formal structured mentor
programs led by Assistant Principals mentors.
Within California, USA:


Interviews and observations of staff/mentors at the New Teacher
Center associated with the University of California, Santa Cruz to
develop an understanding of the context in California including the
number of new teachers appointed, their retention, induction programs
that occur and the effectiveness of these programs.
Interviews and observations of school principals and new teachers in
schools associated with the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Within in NSW, I interviewed early career teachers, Assistant Principal
(Mentor) and Early Career Teachers’ Consultant in South Western Sydney
Region. This area was chosen because of the proportionally large number of
early career teachers employed in the region, my familiarity with it and the
large number of students with few advantages who are enrolled in the area.
When interviewing beginning teachers at a school which had an Assistant
Principal (Mentor) appointed, I discovered that the mentor program was
supposed to only involve the temporary teachers who were appointed to that
school and not any new permanent beginning teachers. I therefore enlarged
the planned methodology to also include early career teachers at that school
who were permanent appointments.
Whilst at the New Teacher Center, I also studied their research findings into
new teacher induction and the mentoring of new teachers.
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5.
Findings
In NSW:
In the interview situation, early career teachers invariably spoke about the
pressures that they felt as beginning teachers. They spoke about work load
´there was always so much to do” and expectations that they placed on
themselves that led to worrying and illness. Many said that the job was initially
overwhelming, particularly as one stated “all the admin stuff”. Another spoke
about planning for students learning and how it all seemed so enormous to
plan ahead and to see where students were headed. These same teachers
sang the praises of having a class free specially appointed mentor to support
them at the start of their career. The benefits that they listed included that the
mentor:
 was not the supervisor – it didn’t matter if “you asked something that
made you look really bad”, you didn’t have to be embarrassed
 was not so close, not the boss but still understood the nature of the
school
 was there to help, gave resources, shared, pointed the teacher “in the
right direction
 was available, didn’t have a class to teach like the supervisor did
 went to other schools, brought back ideas, shared knowledge of what
other schools were doing with beginning teachers
 personally helped other beginning teachers even if they weren’t on the
program
 was a “constant” – the teachers’ supervisors had changed a number of
times during the early phase of careers
Anecdotally, these early career teachers spoke of friends with whom they had
been to university. They spoke about friends who had been merit graduates
and had resigned because they felt “lost” and didn’t have support. In all
instances that were cited by these teachers their friends were not part of a
formal structured mentor support program.
For the school principal and executive the class free mentor program
impacted on leadership in a number of ways, causing it to become more
effective. The stress level on executive who were leading a large number of
beginning teachers was lowered making the leadership team more proactive
and responsive to the needs of all members of the school community. The
mentor work in the school led to changes in organisational practices and
leadership within the school such that executive now teach in support roles
and are closer to and more available for early career teachers. The mentor
has also trained the school executive in supporting and guiding beginning
teachers who are working towards achieving accreditation. This has led to
efficient and supportive leadership of beginning teachers by school executive.
The Early Career Teachers Consultant and Assistant Principal (Mentor) spoke
about the role having a dual purpose of supporting beginning teachers and
training executive in the leadership of supporting beginning teachers. She
spoke about providing both individual, tailored support for beginning teachers
depending on their needs and skills levels, and conducting regular,
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supportive, focussed group meetings for beginning teachers. The Assistant
Principals mentor stated that this approach has stopped teachers who were in
danger of resigning from leaving the teaching service.
Whilst researching in NSW, I also found that there were 98 schools in which
some beginning teachers were supported by a formal teacher mentor. The
vast majority of these schools were secondary schools. Most schools that
have teacher mentors appointed, have proportionally higher numbers of early
career teachers. For beginning teachers who are appointed to schools where
they may be the only early career teacher or where the numbers of beginning
teachers are low, their access to a mentor who is class free or has a reduced
teaching load, is limited.
In Santa Cruz
The New Teacher Center is currently a part of the University of California,
Santa Cruz but is located off campus in the downtown area of Santa Cruz. It
was established 20 years ago in response to talented new graduates returning
in despair to their university lecturers following their appointments to schools.
These new teachers, whom the university saw as having great potential to
become competent veteran teachers, were finding the realities of the
classroom almost too difficult to manage and were resigning or wanting to
leave teaching. According to the University of Washington’s Center for the
Study of Teaching and Learning, one in every two new teachers resigns within
five years of commencing their career. This costs the USA $2.6 billion per
year. Of the teachers who have gone through the New Teacher Center
program, 94 per cent are still in education after ten years.
The New Teacher Center is funded mostly by private foundations. It is
planning to separate from University of California, Santa Cruz in order to
establish non-profit status with the expectation that it will be able to attract
larger funding from private foundations that will not donate because the
University takes an administration charge as an overhead cost from any funds
donated.
School districts and schools purchase the services of the New Teacher Center
to assist their schools and executive in the two year induction of beginning
teachers. Mentors are selected during the second half of the school year prior
to appointment. Mentors are not executive members of schools but are
selected on their performance as excellent classroom practitioners and their
personal qualities which will make them excellent teachers and supporters of
beginning teachers. They are appointed for a three year term, after which they
return to school. In most cases, mentors have twelve or thirteen first or
second year teachers for whom they are responsible. The beginning teachers
are their only responsibility, they have no teaching load. In some very
disadvantaged areas, where special grants have been received, mentors have
only seven new teachers to support and work intensively and collaboratively
within those schools.
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Mentors meet weekly or fortnightly with their teachers depending on need.
They observe them in the teaching environment, provide feedback, support,
counselling and ideas for best practice. Support is provided at initial
employment – time is spent with new teachers to assist them to set up their
classroom at the start of the school year. Teachers are intensively supported
and coached through the time in which they have to show evidence for
accreditation. Each beginning teacher is entitled to this level of mentor support
if they are the only beginning teacher in the school or one of a large number of
early career teachers.
Principals and executive (administrators) whom I interviewed spoke highly of
the positive impact the mentoring program has had in their schools. They
spoke of the multitude of effects. It freed them to lead in management and the
creation of optimum learning environments for students and particularly in
schools with large numbers of beginning teachers it allowed them to be more
proactive in whole school learning and welfare initiatives. Executive continue
with evaluation and supervision practices which are not part of a mentor’s
role. However, the most successful programs appear to occur when school
principals and executive promote the program, are supportive of the
mentoring program and collaboration occurs between all parties. New
Teacher Center staff interviewed spoke about the difference in the program
when the principal allows more release time for beginning teachers to
consistently work with their mentors. There was no evidence of any clashes or
disagreements between the leadership of the schools involved and the
mentors and staff from the New Teacher Center.
A study conducted by Michael Strong and Linda St John of the New Teacher
Center examined 72 teachers, six years after they were enrolled in an
induction support program that provided them with veteran teachers released
full time as mentors. Most were interviewed to find out their reasons for
staying or leaving, the details of their teaching careers over the intervening
years, and their plans for the future. A comparison sample of 25 teachers from
neighbouring districts not involved with a full release mentoring program was
also studied and further comparisons were made with California and national
data. It was found that 88 per cent of the target teachers were still in the
classroom and a further 6 per cent were in other positions in education. In
comparison, approximately 50 per cent of the teachers from nearby districts
were still teaching. Data for the state of California show 84 per cent still
teaching after four years, and nationwide the number is 67 per cent for the
same time period. They concluded that the comprehensive program appeared
to be having a positive effect on teacher retention.
In Beyond Mentoring: How the Mentoring Experience Improves the
Professional Practice of Experienced Teachers, Susan Hanson and Ellen Moir
from the New Teacher Center examined how mentoring contributes to the
ongoing professional development of experienced teachers and how they
subsequently apply the skills and knowledge they gained as mentors. The
research provides evidence that teachers who take time away from classroom
teaching to be mentors are likely to return to school positions as school
leaders with an increased interest in working in a professional learning
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environment. From the respondents to a survey it was found that 91 per cent
of them returned to work in schools or teacher training programs. Forty-two
percent took up leadership positions as school administrators or resource
teachers. The data suggest that mentoring results in professional growth,
particularly in the areas of leadership development. The mentor experience is
perceived by most veteran mentors as the most influential professional
experience that they have had since beginning teaching. One hundred
percent of the administrators report that participating in the Santa Cruz New
Teacher Project had a great impact on their ability to create a learning
environment, talk with teachers about their teaching, and act as a change
agent at their school. Ninety-four percent of the respondents reported that the
experience deepened their understanding of teaching and learning.
Other areas of research examined include Does New Teacher Support Affect
Student Achievement and The Costs and Benefits of a Comprehensive
Induction Program by Michael Strong from The New Teacher Center. Both
would suggest that support for new teachers through a comprehensive
induction program provides monetary returns to the state and society and
improvement in student outcomes of students in the classes of beginning
teachers who receive onsite, systemic and individualised support.
6.
Implications for the practice of leadership
The next decade will see many experienced teachers retire. They will be
replaced by inexperienced, early career teachers some of whom will have
received mentoring and supervision in their role as temporary teachers. Some
will be appointments straight from teacher training courses. Within this time
frame there will be many retirements from experienced principals and school
executive. There will be a number of implications for the practice of leadership
within schools because of this situation.
The quality induction program from Santa Cruz using the system of class-free
mentors outlined above, has many implications for our future situation. It leads
to:
 greater distribution of leadership and at the same time high quality
leadership through the use of mentors some of whom would not be
interested in traditional promotional paths
 leadership in a different way that is non supervisory
 mentors having the “big picture” of what teachers and students need
 enhanced professional learning of mentors and beginning teachers
leading to improvements in teacher effectiveness
 freeing up school executive to lead and manage the school in a more
proactive and targeted way through the lessening of the load in
supporting and coaching new teachers.
The class-free mentor program already established and available to some
new teachers in NSW is held in high regard by the new teachers who were
interviewed during this fellowship. It is also seen as purposeful and successful
by school principals and executive who were interviewed. School executive
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also spoke about the way in which it lessened their workload and freed them
to lead school improvement in other areas.
7.
Recommendations arising from the research study
That the Department implement a pilot program across two adjoining School
Education Groups (with significant numbers of early career teachers) similar
to the model for the delivery of Support Teacher Learning Assistance, with an
assistant principal (mentor) leading a group of mentor teachers who are classfree and assigned to individual teachers or groups of early career teachers
within schools within the School Education Group. The ratio of mentor to new
teachers should be no more than 1 to15–18.
That principals identify those members of their staff who have the potential to
be mentors in any trial of the above recommendation.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Strong, Michael and St.John, Linda, (2001) A Study of Teacher Retention:
The Effects of Mentoring for Beginning Teachers New Teachers Center @
UCSC
Strong, Michael, (2005) Mentoring New Teachers to Increase Retention New
Teachers Center @ UCSC
Achinstein, B and Athanases, S, (2006) New Visions for Mentoring New
Teachers New York: New Teachers College Press
Barrett, A and Fletcher, S (2004) Developing Effective Beginning Teachers
through Mentor-Based Induction Mentoring and Tutoring, 12(3)
Hanson, S and Moir, E, (2006) Beyond Mentoring Experience Improves the
Professional Practice of Experienced Teachers, Paper presented at the NTC
Symposium, San Jose CA
Strong, Michael and Villar, Anthony (2007) The Costs and Benefits of a
Comprehensive Induction Program New Teachers Center @ UCSC
Strong, Michael, (2006) Does New Teacher Support Affect Student
Achievement? New Teachers Center @ UCSC
Walsh, Kate (2008) New Teacher Induction in Challenging Schools – How We
Can Get It Wrong and How We Can Make It Right Reflections New Teachers
Center @ UCSC
Goldrick, Liam (2008) School Leaders Shape Teaching and Learning
Reflections New Teachers Center @ UCSC
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