NEA: Teacher Shortage
Teacher Shortage

• A Better Beginning: Helping New Teachers Survive and Thrive
  Teacher Shortage | Research | NEA Resources | Other Resources A Better Beginning
  Contents Overview The New Teacher Building an Effective New Teacher Support System Where Mentoring Works How To Establish a New Teacher Support System Toolkit
  Sample surveys
  
  Sample contract language
  
  Sample mentor training program outline

  Where Mentoring Works: Real Examples

  New Teacher Mentoring

  Manchester Education Association
  Manchester, New Hampshire
  Contact: Ellen Healey, Manchester Education Association president
  (603) 668-5326, ext. 710
  lnmea@yahoo.com

  "We've been planning this new teacher mentoring program for three years, but the excitement around it is still contagious," says Manchester Education Association President Ellen Healey.

  Healey spent much of 1997 trying to help the district superintendent, principals, and school board understand the need for a new teacher support system. After months of organizing, Healey finally had everyone she needed on board, and, in 1999, she attended NEA's "Challenge of Change" conference with the town's mayor, school board members, parents, the district superintendent, and some building principals.

  At the conference, the Manchester team worked together to develop a mentoring model. Their first charge: form an oversight committee to run the program. Committee members now include leaders from the Association, an administrator, a second-year teacher, the district assistant superintendent, a representative from the mayor's office, a school board member, and two assistant principals.

  This committee developed a formal application process and, from it, chose nine teachers to pilot the mentoring program the following fall. They also worked with the University of New Hampshire to develop an in-depth training course for the mentors, which currently meets once a week. The university is developing more courses for the mentors and will offer a mentoring certificate to those who complete 15 credit hours.

  The district has committed substantial dollars for the program, but specifics remain to be bargained into the local's next contract. Healey is hoping that at least half of the mentors will be released full-time from their classroom duties for at least one year. The district and Association have agreed upon a yearly stipend for mentors — a set percentage of the base salary, about $3,800 per year. As the base salary increases, so will the stipend.

  The Manchester program will provide ongoing workshops for new teachers.

  "We are committed to providing activities for new teachers, especially after we saw their excitement after the 'I Can Do It' workshop," says Healey. "They wanted to know when the next workshop would be. When there's that kind of anticipation, you have to follow through. There's an obvious need here we can help fill. How can we not get involved?"

  New Teacher Mentoring

  NEA-North Kingstown
  North Kingstown, Rhode Island
  Contact: Leo Maynard, NEA-North Kingstown President
  (401) 268-6255
  maynardl@ride.ri.net

  Last year, legislators in Rhode Island passed a bill requiring all school districts to provide mentoring to new teachers. In response, North Kingstown school officials reached out to the union — specifically to NEA-North Kingstown President Leo Maynard — for help.

  "We had wanted to develop a partnership for some time, but the law is what really pushed us into action," Maynard explains

  Together, the Association and district formed a committee — consisting of Maynard and four other veteran teachers, two new teachers, one building administrator, the district curriculum director, the human resources director, and the pupil personnel director — to take charge of implementing a program.

  The committee members attended a workshop sponsored by the state department of education and gathered some good, basic resources to help them get started. They also held a forum for district employees to get input.

  "We asked really open-ended questions about what we needed to include to make this a successful endeavor," says Maynard. "The response was overwhelming. The number one issue that kept coming up was time — everyone felt that time had to be given for both mentor and new teacher to work together."

  The Association and district eventually agreed to give participants up to three days off, in addition to conference days, to work together and visit other classrooms.

  Twenty mentors, chosen from a formal application process, are initiating a "pilot" version of the program this year. They all have at least three years of experience in the North Kingstown district and have completed a two-day mentor training prior to the beginning of school. There is no mentor stipend, but the district has offered each mentor $500 worth of classroom resources as an incentive.

  Ultimately, the committee hopes to make it mandatory for new teachers to participate, and assign mentors to new teachers in the same school and grade level on a one-to-one ratio.

  "We'll be bargaining the program into our contracts this spring, so for now, we've all operated a little on blind faith," Maynard says. "But I'm not sure I would have done it differently. Our program is what it is because we've been making changes as we go along — kind of a 'work in progress.' I think that's what a new teacher support system should be — where ongoing evaluations are built in and changes are made accordingly."

  Peer Coaching

  Birmingham Education Association
  Birmingham, Michigan
  Contact: Joan Kasle, Birmingham Education Association president
  (248) 358-4770

  Two years ago, after attending an NEA national conference, Birmingham Education Association President Joan Kasle approached her district's superintendent about establishing a new teacher support system. Kasle was inspired by what she had learned at the conference about a joint peer coaching program in Cherry Creek, Colorado.

  "It was exactly what we needed," Kasle says.

  The district superintendent was impressed, too. So the district and Association formed a joint committee — with four teachers, two building administrators, and two district administrators — to develop a program purpose and plan. The committee then chose two full-time release peer coaches who, along with Kasle and the superintendent, spent four days in Cherry Creek gaining first-hand knowledge about that district's model program.

  The peer coaches in Birmingham, both Association members, are now responsible for 15 new teachers each. One works at the secondary level and the other at the elementary. The two were trained in cognitive coaching skills. They do not receive a stipend, but they do receive their regular salary plus pay for overtime worked.

  The peer coaches observe all new teachers in the district on a weekly basis and confer with them afterward on an individual basis. They also plan and conduct monthly after-school workshops.

  Kasle stresses two important factors for mentoring program success. First, the district must see the program as a priority and come through with funding and resources. Her district completely funds the program and has even published a booklet about it.

  The other factor: confidentiality between new teacher and peer coach. Explains Kasle: "Our number one criteria in choosing our coaches was based on their ability to keep new teacher trust. They don't talk about job performance to anyone except the new teachers."

  The rewards from mentoring, says Kasle, are abundant.

  "The new teachers are joining us because they are seeing firsthand the value of the Association," she says. "They are getting the message we're sending: that we truly care about their success in the classroom and will help them in anyway we can."

  Sums up Kasle; "This is what I want people to remember me for. I'll be retiring next year, and this, by far, is my greatest achievement."

  Peer Mentor Program

  Manitowoc Education Association
  Manitowoc, Wisconsin
  Contact: Bob Jome, Manitowoc Education Association President
  (920) 683-4861 ext. 6239
  jomeb@mpsd.k12.wi.us

  "We've been informally mentoring new teachers for years now," says Manitowoc Education Association President Bob Jome. "But in the last year tha