Supporting and Retaining The Next Generation of Teachers

Susan Moore Johnson

Project on the Next Generation of Teachers

Harvard Graduate School of Education

Generational Shift in the Teaching Force

2618

57

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0-9 10-19 20+

1971

28

45

28

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

701986

0-9 10-19 20+

38

24

38

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

702001

0-9 10-19 20+

Source: National Education Association, Status of the American Public School Teacher, 2000-2001.

RecruitmentAnd

HiringInduction Retention

National Rates of Teacher Attrition

● 14% leave after 1 year

● 30% leave within 3 years

● 40%-50% leave within 5 years

Finders and Keepers

Helping New Teachers Survive and Thrive in

Our SchoolsBy 

  

“Knowledgeable, skilled and caring teachers represent our best hope for educating all our students well. Finders and Keepers, about real teachers in real schools, tells us how we can overcome impediments together, creating a more genuine profession for teachers and more learner-centered schools for all our students.”

--Adam Urbanski, president, Rochester Teachers Association and director, Teacher Union Reform Network

  

Susan Moore Johnson

and

The Project on the Next Generation of Teachers

FederalState

District

School

Two Generations of Teachers

Retiring First-career entrants

Traditionally prepared

Long-term commitment

New First-career and mid-

career entrants

Traditionally and alternatively prepared

Short-term and long-term commitment

The Retiring Generation of Teachers

● Professional preferencesPrivacyAutonomyCareers focus on developing craft

● School characteristicsEgg-crate structureGeneric positionsUndifferentiated roles

The New Generation of Teachers

● Professional preferencesWork in teamsVaried responsibilitiesExpanded influence

● School characteristicsTeam-basedDifferentiated roles

Three Types ofProfessional Culture

● Veteran-oriented Professional Culture

● Novice-oriented Professional Culture

● Integrated Professional CultureAttention to new teachers’ novice statusOngoing exchange between experienced

teachers and novicesCollective responsibility for school, students,

and teachers

The MA50 1 Year Later

New

Teachers in…

Still Teaching in Public School

Veteran-oriented cultures

75%

Novice-oriented cultures

83%

The MA50 1 Year Later

New

Teachers in…

Still Teaching in Public School

Still Teaching in Same School

Veteran-oriented cultures

75% 57%

Novice-oriented cultures

83% 67%

The MA50 1 Year Later

New

Teachers in…

Still Teaching in Public School

Still Teaching in Same School

Veteran-oriented cultures

75% 57%

Novice-oriented cultures

83% 67%

Integrated professional

cultures

88% 82%

attract

support

retain

Induction that works:

● Is deliberately school-based● Is integrated into the professional

life and practice of the school ● Begins with hiring

Late Hiring

4-States n=486

Hired more than a month before school starts

38%

Hired during the month before school starts

29%

Hired after the school year has started

33%

Liu, 2004

Induction that works:

● Is deliberately school-based● Is integrated into the professional life

and practice of the school ● Begins with hiring● Goes beyond one-to-one mentoring

Mentor Mismatch (n=374)

Mentor teaches in

All New Teachers

3 States

New Teachers:

High-income Schools

New Teachers: Low-income

Schools

the same school

68% 82% 53%

the same grade level

44% 61% 28%

the same subject

48% 60% 40%

Kardos, 2004

Limited Interactions with Mentors (n=374)

All New Teachers

3 States

High-income Schools

Low-income Schools

Three or more conversations about classroom instruction

56% 61% 47%

Kardos, 2004

Induction that works:

● Is deliberately school-based● Is integrated into the professional life and

practice of the school ● Begins with hiring● Goes beyond one-to-one mentoring● Allows novices to observe good teaching in

many forms● Provides regular feedback on teaching

practice● Supports new teachers and provides varied

roles for experienced teachers in a career lattice or ladder

Possible Roles in Career Lattice•Mentors

•Instructional Coaches

•Data Analysts

•Staff Developers

•Cluster Leaders

•Department Heads

•Consulting Teachers

Supporting Teacher Leaders

• Define and explain new roles

• Formalize selection process

• Help broker relationships

• Provide supervision

• Promote a culture of respect for expertise and support for learning

Two Possible Scenarios

● Schools that are staffed like summer camps, with repeated turnover and no professional capacity

● A differentiated career lattice that scaffolds the experience and expertise of teachers

The Next Generation of Teachers

For more information, please visit

www.gse.harvard.edu/~ngt