Components of Successful Teacher Induction Programs

This report profiles new teacher induction programs at four K-12 school districts. We’ve outlined strategies for induction program design in terms of structure, orientation and ongoing synchronous sessions, and mentorship. We also cover staffing and assessment and effectiveness for program administration. Download the full report or explore the main takeaways below.

Tailor induction programs to support strategic goals and increase teacher retention and effectiveness

Administrators at all profiled districts select content for their induction programs using state and district requirements, district instructional practices, student outcomes, and program participant feedback. Administrators use this content to deliver orientation and ongoing professional development opportunities for new teachers in their first year(s) at the district. Doing so provides administrators with an avenue to develop relationships with new teachers. Administrators can leverage these relationships to accomplish district goals (e.g., impressing new teachers with district values, improving instructional quality to ensure student success, etc.).

Provide professional development programming separately from induction programs

Contacts at all profiled districts report that non-teaching staff (e.g., speech pathologists, nurses, occupational therapists) often have specific requirements for professional development and continuing education to maintain their licenses and credentials. As a result, leadership in these employees’ respective departments facilitate induction and professional development efforts for these staff.

Develop specific content to support each component of induction programming

Develop specific content to support each component of induction programming. All profiled districts develop a curriculum for induction and accompanying resources and materials. To do this, District B, District C, and District Duse a combination of third-party services and materials created at the district.

For example, administrators at District C develop induction lesson plans from instructional strategies in Marzano Research materials, while induction program staff at District B create video demonstrations of effective teaching in their district for induction participants to review.

Personalize induction programming through one-on-one mentorship

Contacts at all profiled districts report that because new teachers bring a variety of experience levels and content area specialization, differentiating induction at the individual level offers more benefit to teachers. As a result, contact districts provide intentionally broad programming in larger group sessions. New teachers use mentor relationships to build skills specific to their subject areas, grade levels, and experience level through coaching sessions, observations, and feedback.

For example, at District D new teachers attend four general professional development sessions on tier I instruction and spend 45 hours over the course of their first year of teaching with a mentor who provides personalized support.

Assess the effectiveness of teacher induction programs

Contacts at all four profiled districts report using a combination of anecdotal feedback about teacher satisfaction, student achievement, and retention rates to gain a comprehensive understanding of the impacts of their induction program. Contacts report increased teacher retention rates and feedback from building principals indicating that the content of induction programing influences the quality of classroom instruction for students.

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