Supporting New Teachers

The city of Lawrence, Massachusetts, has a wonderful diversity, originally serving as a turn-of-the-century entry point for Irish, Polish, Italian, Syrian, and French-Canadian textile workers, and now attracting newcomers from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Vietnam, and dozens of other countries. Hispanics now make up almost 70% of the population (U.S. Census Bureau 2005). Like most cities, Lawrence faces significant challenges. A dwindling manufacturing base, and subsequent loss of manufacturing jobs, has created a city where over one-third of the population is below the poverty line. Unemployment, while declining from 15% in the 1990s, still remains at 10%, over twice the national average (EOLWD 2005). Lawrence schools face many of the same issues as other urban schools in the United States, including a reported dropout rate of 40% that is almost four times the reported state average (MDE 2006) and difficulties supporting and retaining highly qualified teachers. To address the issue of teacher retention, Lawrence has initiated a district-run program for all new teachers, pairing each of 60 new teachers with a mentor in their school who is teaching the same grade or subject area. Mentors meet regularly with the new teacher, observe him or her in class, and offer support and guidance. The intensive mentoring program costs the district $200,000 per year, a bargain compared to the $50,000 it can cost to recruit, hire, and train one new teacher. Six years ago, before the program was initiated, half of Lawrence's teachers left after their first year. Now, on average, 85% stay and 62% are still in the classroom after three years, which is 12% above the national average (Brady-Myerov 2007). The success of the local support program was recently discussed in a National Public Radio interview (Brady-Myerov 2007). In Lawrence, mentoring works. Many new teachers who leave schools after the first year report lack of support and poor working conditions as the primary reasons for leaving. New teachers can feel alone and vulnerable even working in a school building alongside scores of other teachers. At a time when many of our teachers are approaching retirement, and science and mathematics teachers are scarce, especially in urban settings, it is imperative that we support and retain teachers new to the profession. Thirty-three states now require school districts to have a teacher induction and mentoring program, but these programs vary in quality. …

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