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Induction and Mentoring Committee

Twenty percent of new teachers leave the profession after only one year of teaching, and only half of all new teachers stay in the classroom after their seventh year.  The North Suburban Teachers’ Union, Local 1274, decided to deal with the teacher retention issue head-on.  NSTU initiated an Induction and Mentoring Committee to help its councils either start or improve induction and mentoring programs in their school districts.  To do so the following plan was initiated:

I. Goal:

All schools develop and implement an induction and mentoring program in alignment with the ISBE’s “requirements for Induction and Mentoring”.

II. Urgency

 Induction and mentoring programs will be mandated by the state, and schools WILL implement such programs.  It is the goal of the NSTU to aid in the establishment of these programs so they will be “by and for teachers”.

III. Strategy Elements: 

A. Leadership Committee

Form a committee of teacher-leaders with membership from each school that will:

·        Meet to discuss strategies and pitfalls, and to stay abreast of the most current information regarding induction/mentorship programs

·        Pool their resources in order to develop “best practice” programs

·        Mentor each other through the process

·        Identify and provide resources to support mentorship implementation

B. School Implementation Progress Reporting

    Leadership team member’s responsibilities include:

·        Developing and implementing and supporting an induction and mentoring program in their school

·        Keeping  committee informed of progress at their location

C. Resources

Resources to support school implementation will include

·        Sample programs (see additonal resources)

·        Mentor training program for loan from NSTU

·        A “trainer of trainers” workshop

 For sample prgrams see additional resources

Additional Resources