Cultivating High-Quality Teaching Through Induction and Mentoring

"Bartell argues that induction is about more than retaining teachers. It is about helping all teachers become more professional and better at what they do . . . and, most important, it is about improving student learning."
From the Foreword by Linda Darling-Hammond
Charles E. Ducommun, Professor of Education
Stanford University

The first few years of teaching are the most challenging. During these years, teachers are most likely to become discouraged and disillusioned. Yet these early years are also the time when teachers establish practices that last throughout their careers.

Cultivating High-Quality Teaching Through Induction and Mentoring focuses on new teachers' needs while emphasizing high-quality teaching through the use of standards-based teaching, teacher assessments, and reflective practice. Through extensive research, Carol Bartell has identified the critical elements in shaping induction policies that lead to teacher retention and improved student achievement. Because teachers begin with different levels of preparation, Bartell addresses how to adjust programs to meet differing needs in a variety of school contexts.

Bridging the gap between knowledge and practice, this handbook includes:

• A description of the challenges that new teachers face
• The key elements of an effective induction plan
• The role of mentoring in a successful induction program
• Information on induction in the most challenging setting-urban schools
• Models and approaches to assessment during the induction period

Throughout, this book emphasizes a developmental approach to encouraging teachers to a higher level of practice that extends beyond the usual survival skills. Don't just prepare teachers to teach, prepare them to teach better!