Cultivating High-Quality Teaching Through Induction and Mentoring

About the Book

The research shows that induction and mentoring programs are effective. While many schools have instituted induction and/or mentoring programmes, we know little about what actually works in these types of programmes. Carol A Bartell bridges the gap between knowledge and practice with this book. Through her extensive research on induction and mentoring programs, she has identified the elements of successful programmes. Induction programmes are systematic, organized plans for the support and development of new teachers in the initial 1-3 years of service. Because teachers begin with different levels of preparation, the author addresses how to differentiate programmes to meet differing needs, from teachers who have completed a traditional university programme to those who have entered teaching through alternative certification. It also looks at how various school environments (urban, suburban, and rural) affect the first three years of teaching. Rather than focusing on survival skills, Induction and Mentoring in Urban Schools emphasizes high-quality teaching through the use of standards-based teaching, teacher assessments, and reflective practice. The book also contains a special emphasis on under-prepared teachers and urban schools-those most in need of effective induction and mentoring and also the group that benefits the most from these types of programmes

Table of Contents:
Foreword - Linda Darling-Hammond Preface 1. The Challenges Facing Beginning Teachers 2. Understanding the Stages of Teacher Development 3. The Characteristics of Effective Induction Programs 4. Mentoring Strategies and Best Practices 5. Urban Schools and Induction 6. Standards-Based Teaching and Reflective Practice 7. Teacher Assessment 8. Developing Induction Policies to Shape Induction Practices References Index

About the Author :
Carol A. Bartell has been interested in teacher induction since 1988, when she first became involved with what was then the California New Teacher Project, a pilot project with fifteen districts in California. Her role was first as a faculty member at the University of Pacific in Stockton, and shortly after as a staff member at the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and finally, as a member of the Commission representing the independent California Colleges and Universities in her role as Dean of the School of Education at California Lutheran University. Her interest in assisting teachers in urban schools led her to accept, beginning in the fall of 2003, the position of Dean of the Charter College of Education at California State University, Los Angeles. Dr. Bartell has worked on a number of efforts related to teacher induc-tion. She served as project officer for the evaluation of the California induc-tion programs, led the initial state task force that developed the California Standards for the Teaching Profession, and led the development of the peer review process for the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program. She has served on a number of national task forces and Commissions related to induction, including the National Commission on Professional Development and Support of Novice Teachers sponsored by the Association of Teacher Educators and Kappa Delta Pi, and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC). Before Dr. Bartell entered the state policy and the higher education arena, she was a teacher. Her P-12 teaching career spans eleven years in five different states in urban, rural, and suburban settings. She remembers what it was like to begin anew as a novice in a different teaching context. She still enjoys getting into the classroom, when her schedule permits, to work with university students preparing for that very important work in schools.

Review :
"All beginning teachers face significant challenges during their induction into the teaching profession. This book provides a cogent, thoughtful, and practical guide to working in the areas of teacher induction and mentoring, and is a must read for academics, program developers, and practitioners alike." "Carol Bartell offers us an eminently practical and comprehensive roadmap to coach and assist our beginning teachers away from an unhappy ending." "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." "Bartell has done an excellent job of pulling together the research on induction and mentoring. She uses examples drawn from a variety of studies, and provides guidance for those who wish to develop or improve an existing induction program. State and district leaders would be well advised to read this book." "A practical, no-nonsense and principled guide condensing decades of expertise into plain terms advice."