It is not uncommon to feel a mix of emotions as we get closer to the start of a new year, and this is especially true with new teachers. The educational terrain has been a bit rugged (to say the least) and yet they courageously choose to join our profession, determined to make an impact on their learners, Novice teachers don’t know what they don’t know so what can instructional leaders and coaches do to step in and best support them? How do we ensure that every student deserves a great first-year teacher, not by chance, but by design?
One way to do this is to design a coherent onboarding process. Each campus has a unique set of curricular, instructional, and cultural expectations so an onboarding is a customized experience that integrates new professional members into the site-level organization. This should complement the induction programs offered by the school system. To get your new staff up to speed, ensure that there are: (1) planned activities aligned to the site’s values and structures, (2) regular opportunities to network with other members of the organization, and (3) extended experiences that last up to one year (Frey et al., 2023).
Just as effective classroom teachers do with their student learners, effective instructional leaders and coaches understand who their new teachers are and what they need as adult learners.
Protheroe (2006) found that those who are new to school organizations:
- Want more information about the expectations of school leaders,
- Want access to accessible leaders who provide assistance, guidance, and solutions,
- Appreciate being observed in the classroom and getting direct feedback,
- Benefit from a support group of teachers with whom they can collaborate, vent, and provide motivation during tough times,
- Are eager to watch experts and develop their craft under guidance, and
- Want to be listened to and made to feel successful.
Successful novice teachers engage in an onboarding framework around year-long, fundamental professional learning practices or cycles. Instructional leaders and coaches make learning visible when they:
- “Get in their (first-year) shoes” – Reconnect with their personal experiences and design meaningful and relevant experiences with appropriate scaffolding.
- Analyze the current practices – Consider the status of create an action plan, and clearly communicate their expectations for all teachers.
- Design meaningful learning opportunities – They work collaboratively with expert teachers on campus. new teachers can visit classrooms and debrief what was observed with colleagues.
- Do regular and personal check-ins – Send an email, chat in the hallway, and visit their class, and give feedback, just to name a few.
- Assess progress – Check for understanding and refine the previously discussed learning cycles.
Instructional leaders and coaches need to ensure new teachers and new staff feel welcome, successful, and stay in the profession. The RAND Corporation published research that showed that at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, the national teacher turnover rate was 10%, which was 4% above pre-pandemic levels (Diliberti & Schwartz, 2023). Comparatively, urban districts, high-poverty districts, and districts serving predominantly students of color had the highest turnover rate at 12 to 14% (Diliberti & Schwartz, 2023). The data shows that we cannot take a laissez-fair approach if we want to close the opportunity gap. With a coherent onboarding process, nothing is left to chance. Not only is it designed to give students access to the great first-year teachers that they deserve, but that access is sustained over time.
References
Diliberti, M. K., & Schwartz, H.L.(2023b, February 16). Educator Turnover Has Markedly Increased, but Districts Have Taken Actions to Boost Teacher Ranks: Selected Findings from the Sixth American School District Panel Survey. RAND. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA956-14.html
Frey, N., Shin, M., Fisher, D., & Biscocho, E. (2023). Onboarding teachers: A Playbook for Getting New Staff Up to Speed. Corwin Press.
Protheroe, N. (2006). The principal’s role in supporting new teachers. Principal, 86(2), 34–38.
