Natasha is a first-year teacher who was hired on a provisional certificate to teach fifth-grade math and science in a high needs school. She is a career changer with 20 years as an engineer. The last time she was in a fifth-grade classroom was when she was 11 years old. She started in the fall with no experience writing lesson plans or managing large groups of children. Natasha is working toward her full certification by completing a master’s degree in elementary education.

Jacob, also a first-year teacher, teaches down the hall from Natasha. He graduated last May with a degree in elementary education. He completed a traditional student teaching experience in first grade in a neighboring district that is more affluent than his current school. Math was his least favorite subject as a student, but he’s now teaching fourth-grade math and science.

The district and school leaders who support both Natasha, Jacob and others are faced with a challenge – how to support a group of teachers from different backgrounds so they improve student learning while also keeping those teachers in the school and district for years to come.

Leaders in schools and districts across the U.S. are asking themselves this same question as they face issues related to teacher shortages, certification and quality. These issues are particularly worrisome in the South, where teacher shortages are highest. In fact, about 45% of novice teachers in the region leave their schools within their first five years in the profession.

Too many novice teachers, feeling overwhelmed, unsupported and ill-equipped, are walking away from their schools, leaving behind classrooms of students who desperately need them. Districts, especially those in low-income and rural areas, often struggle to fill those teaching slots with qualified teachers and resort to hiring recent college graduates or career changers on a provisional or emergency certification, meaning they have completed little to no instructional preparation.

High-quality induction programs — those that support new teachers for their first two to three years through mentors, coaching, relevant professional learning and collaboration, like SREB’s Teaching to Lead — can stem the tide of novice teacher turnover. By establishing strong support systems, school and district leaders can provide novice teachers with the professional learning and mentoring they need to not only feel successful, but to also recognize in themselves the changemakers they are for students. When novice teachers believe they positively impact students, they are more likely to stay. Studies of survey data show when teachers feel supported by administrators and colleagues, they are also more likely to stay. 

Too many novice teachers, feeling overwhelmed, unsupported and ill-equipped, are walking away, leaving behind students who desperately need them. 

Implementing a high-quality teacher induction program requires strategic design that incorporates practices from recent research on what support novice teachers need. These programs encompass four core components – multi-tiered systems of support, district and school-level leadership, consistent and ongoing mentoring, and professional learning through training and coaching.

Multi-tiered induction programs provide novice teachers with support from a variety of people including school and district leaders, instructional coaches and mentor teachers. Support looks different from each of those people. Mentors meet with novice teachers every week to talk about lesson planning, establishing classroom rules and procedures, communicating with parents, and other personalized needs for the mentee. 

However, instructional coaches might visit a novice teacher once or twice a month to share resources and conduct observations. Principals check in periodically to see how the novice teacher is transitioning into their new role or to support them with student behavior. They also ensure time is available for the novice teacher and mentor to collaborate. A district-level professional learning coordinator might provide monthly training for all novice or mentor teachers across a district.

Each layer of support is strategically designed based upon the needs of novice teachers and should act as a cohesive system that leads to positive teacher and student outcomes. Novice teachers like Natasha and Jacob need support and strong leadership if we are going to keep them in the profession.

SREB is releasing a new evidence-based guidance for schools and districts called the SREB Teacher Induction Framework in the spring. Stay tuned for this resource, along with further publications and webinars on how to develop, implement and sustain quality teacher induction programs.