Formula= Mentor + Principal Support
A True Story
Teacher A finally obtained her teaching license and started substitute teaching around the district. She spent time in elementary schools, middle schools, and her favorite, the high school. She heard one high school had a long-term substitute position teaching open mid-year and thought it would be a great opportunity to get her feet in the door at that particular school. As she was hired for the position, she quickly picked up where the absent teacher left off. Come to find out, the particular teacher of the class was not going to return. Things were going really well with the students in Teacher A's room, so she decided to voice her interest in the position and interview to "take over" in mid-January as the full time teacher.
Soon Teacher A was faced with many e-mails referencing things she was not familiar with-- things about the TCAP testing week, references to her PLC (who she never met), and e-mauls reminder her of procedures she was never introduced to. Teacher A met a few teachers in close proximity to her classroom, but never was she approached by the coordinator of the New Teacher Program, introduced to a mentor teacher, OR introduced to the entire faculty. Feeling isolated and lost, she shut her door and continued to do the best she could. What went wrong?
Teacher A's situation was a result in lack of communication. It was not until March that she was paired with a mentor and approached by other supports in the building. Because the principal and the coordinator of the New Teacher Program did not develop a procedure of "next steps" for a mid-year new hire, the teacher was lost in translation.
The building principal is a key stakeholder in the New Teacher Induction process. They need to know the protocols and communicate with mentors about how to support their mentee. If the principal is not the coordinator of the program, which in this case he/she was not, there needs to be strong communication between the principal and director of the program.
In Chicago Public Schools beginning teachers are supported by four entities:
- a full release mentor
- the principal
- The New Teachers Summer Academy
- Differentiated learning Communities
This model, presented in The New Teacher Center's article Chicago's Induction Program: Assessing Impact Using Multiple Measures (Winter, 2010) shows that collaboration between the four separate components of mentor support showed growth in new teacher effectiveness, student outcomes, increase in teacher retention, and development of teacher leaders. In fact, 95% of the first year teachers reported that their mentor contributes to their ability to provide high-quality instruction (7).
The story above is not a criticism of a poor program, but an example of something that needs to be improved and refined. Perhaps with all things considered the principal did not think to directly notify the NTI coordinator-- after all, he/she most likely had to speak with Human Resources and the business manager first. On the other hand, the coordinator may have gone on with business as usual, not even knowing Teacher A was no longer a substitute, but a new member of the school's family. Lesson Learned.
Collaboration through communication is key. The principal of the building wears so many different hats and delegates so many various tasks it is crucial to make a point to continue the dialogue to improve the practice (in any case). There is no doubt a school principal is going to support the efforts of a New Teacher Induction Program-- but what role can, or should, the principal play in the process?
Readers Rendition:
- What role does the principal play in NTI in your school or district?
- What have you found that works? What does not?
- Without overwhelming all parties... how do you keep everyone informed?
- What roles and expectations need to be clearly defined in a successful NTI program?
- Comments Welcome! Please post your ideas here!
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