The Impact of a Full-Release Mentoring Model on the Practice and Retention of Beginning Teachers Lisa Abrams, PhD Therese Dozier, EdD Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Teacher Leadership AERA April 14, 2009

Introduction u percent of new teachers will leave the professional within the first 5 years (Smith & Ingersoll, 2004). u Urban districts spend $8,750 for every teacher that leaves the district entirely; non-urban districts spend $6,250. The cumulative costs for all schools and districts across the country to hire, recruit, and train the replacement teachers is estimated at $7.34 billion (Barnes, Crowe and Schaefer 2007). u Mentoring has been shown to have a positive impact on teachers’ decisions to stay in the profession and the same school (Borman & Dowling, 2008; Ingersoll & Kralik, 2004; Kapadia, Coca & Easton, 2007). u Frequency and duration of mentoring; the range of supports provided can enhance the impact of mentoring (Guarino, Santibanez & Daley, 2006).

National Landscape u In 2006, 30 states mandated new-teacher induction programs. u By 2008: u 22 states provide funding for induction programs u 25 provide mentoring programs for new teachers u 20 have program standards for the selection, training or matching of mentors (Quality Counts, 2006; 2008)

Local Mentoring Program u The Beginning Teacher Advisor (BTA) Program was first implemented in u Program stemmed from past work of a well- established university partnership with local schools districts. u Partnership identified a shared need to provide more induction support to beginning teachers in the districts’ highest-need schools. u Two cohorts of participating beginning teachers: and

Key Features of BTA Program u Based on the Santa Cruz Mentoring Model u Competitive selection process for mentors/ coaches (n=12) u Time to mentor/coach; each mentor assigned to 15 teachers u Intensity of work with each teacher (at least one hour a week focused on improving instruction) u Formative assessment/data collection tools u Confidentiality u Ongoing opportunities for professional develop- ment and problem solving

TRADITIONALBTA PROGRAM Full-time classroom teacherFully released mentor Mentor chosen by school administrators Mentor selected through highly competitive application process Usually one day orientation12 full days each year as well as weekly PD forums “Buddy” teacher provides emotional support Mentor (BTA) helps BT improve practice Work with BT whenever it can be scheduled Work with each BT 1-2 hours weekly Support during 1st year in classroom Support during 1st and 2nd years in classroom Assessment of BT infrequentAssessment of BT ongoing using formative assessment and data collection tools

Measuring Program Effectiveness u Experimental design to study program u Possible school sites for the BTA program were matched according to student achievement, SES and teacher attrition rates. u Schools were randomly assigned to pilot or comparison groups. u : 31 pilot schools; 175 new teachers u : 30 pilot schools; 170 new teachers

Data Collection u Survey pilot and comparison school teachers after the first year u Wave 1: spring 2006, 83% and 76% response u Wave 2: spring 2008, 68% and 42% response u On-line survey was based in part on: u School and Staffing Survey (NCES) u Teacher Follow-up Survey (NCES) u The New Teacher Center Induction Survey u Obtained teacher attrition rates for pilot and comparison schools

Survey Respondents 1. The “other” category includes the American Indians/Alaska Native, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino and multi-racial the no- response options. 2. The overall chi-square test is statistically significant (alpha <.05); indicating statistically significant differences between the pilot and control group survey responses.

Role of your mentor? Pilot School Teachers (N=227) Comparison School Teachers (N=118) Colleague*63.9%87.3% Friend63.9%62.7% Collaborator*62.7%39.8% Advocate*60.8%33.9% Role Model57.7%58.5% Evaluator*54.6%25.4% Expert guide*54.2%40.7% Critic26.0%16.9% *The overall chi-square test is statistically significant (alpha <.05); indicating statistically significant differences between the pilot and control group survey responses.

Frequency of Mentoring u Beginning teachers in pilot schools reported meeting with their mentors more frequently. u 5.4% of comparison school v. < 1% of pilot school teachers reported “never” meeting with their mentor. u 46.9% of pilot v. 28.8% of comparison school teachers reported that their mentor helped them to “a great extent” during their first-year of teaching.

Discussions of how best to meet the needs of all students The overall chi-square test is statistically significant (alpha <.05); indicating statistically significant differences between the pilot and control group survey responses.

Work with Mentors u Beginning teachers in pilot schools were more likely to report that their mentor: u Observed their teaching and had follow-up discussions. u Modeled lessons or strategies and/or co-taught in their classroom. u Helped in using student assessment data to guide instruction. u Provided classroom management strategies. u Response similar for mentoring related to differentiated instruction, providing resources and materials and assisting with lesson planning.

Focus of Mentoring The overall chi-square test is statistically significant (alpha <.05); indicating statistically significant differences between the pilot and control group survey responses.

Impact of mentor’s observations of teaching and follow-up discussion The overall chi-square test is statistically significant (alpha <.05); indicating statistically significant differences between the pilot and control group survey responses.

Impact of Mentor’s Modeling of Lessons or Strategies The overall chi-square test is statistically significant (alpha <.05); indicating statistically significant differences between the pilot and control group survey responses.

Satisfaction with Teaching *The overall chi-square test is statistically significant (alpha <.05); indicating statistically significant differences between the pilot and control group survey responses.

Career Plans There were no statistically significant differences between the pilot and control group survey responses (alpha <.05).

Impact on Teacher Retention: Trends in One District

Conclusions u Full-release mentoring model provides beginning teachers with greater levels of support than traditional approaches. u Beginning teachers w/a BTA report participating in a richer mentoring experience that goes beyond “survival support”. u Survey results suggest the full-release model has a more powerful impact on classroom practice than a traditional models. u Program has had a positive impact on attrition rates, even though beginning teachers reported lower levels of satisfaction with the profession. This work and the BTA program is funded in part by a USDOE Teacher Quality grant.