Minimizing Teacher Turnover: Inspiring Teachers Through Mentoring Essay Sample

International School Tegucigalpa ( IST ) is an American criterion based K-12 school operating in the capital of Honduras. It is presently under double accreditation from Association of Christian Schools International ( ACSI ) and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ( SACS ) who serve under AdvanceED. IST was founded in August 1993 with the vision of being a leader school. presenting choice instruction. Among its nucleus values. it emphasizes experience and expertness. Traditionally the school has hired a high per centum of international staff and it has been this staff that has given the school its competitory advantage and character. Enrolling attempts have traditionally focused on engaging certified North American instructors. ensuing today. in the largest North American instructor school staff in the Cardinal American part.

IST has 139 full clip staff members and out of the 139 members. 105 are full clip instructors. functioning lone pupils. School information reflects that in last 5 old ages. the school has experienced a turnover of around 19 staff members per twelvemonth. Although the informations would reflect a 13 % turnover. the per centum may be misdirecting as to the students’ world. Since 105 instructors give about 90 % of the direction. pupils truly see an mean closer to 20 % turnover. Furthermore. information looked into more specifically. finds that some sections of the school experience a higher turnover than others. Elementary School ( ES ) hires an norm of 10 new instructors every twelvemonth that accounts to 24 % of its teaching staff. In-between School ( MS ) hires an norm of 5 new instructors every twelvemonth. which accounts for 21 % of their teaching staff. High School ( HS ) on norm hires 2 instructors who account for 10 % of its instructors while Pre School ( PS ) hires 2 new instructors every twelvemonth on norm. which account for 10 % of its teaching staff. Looking into more longitudinal informations IST experiences a turnover of around 55 % per centum every 4 old ages out of which 80 % per centum of this turnover rate are new instructors.

Presently. IST has a human resource policy manual that lone addresses initiation and non mentoring. Rate instructor leaders. in PS and ES. work together with the course of study office in a brother system manner. Work chiefly is in groups and although clip is allocated. no formal preparation or excess clip is given for leaders to fix. The quality of the plan is non measured and there is no appraisal. The plan lacks formal construction and there is no teacher feedback. informations. and it is non systematic. In MS and HS degrees section caputs exist alternatively of grade leaders ; nevertheless this function is supervisory and hierarchal. Furthermore the Ministry of Education in Honduras does non necessitate a specific mentoring plan for private schools. Harmonizing to a survey conducted by Ingersoll & A ; Strong on the consequence of support. counsel. and orientation plans concluded that supplying such support had a positive impact on three sets of results: instructor committedness and keeping. teacher classroom instructional patterns. and student accomplishment ( 2011 ) .

A survey conducted by Smith and Ingersoll analyzing whether mentoring plans had positive effects on the keeping of new instructors concluded that novice instructors who planned with other instructors. collaborated with others. and were assigned wise mans from the same capable country “were less likely to travel to other schools and besides less likely to go forth the instruction profession after the first old ages of teaching” ( 2004 ) . A meaningful mentoring plan should hold the undermentioned elements ( Johnson et al. . 2004 ; Saphier. Freedman. & A ; Aschheim. 2001 ) : Mentors that are carefully selected and matched with their mentees and wise mans are given developing in effectual communicating and peer training techniques. Attention is given to the concerns of get downing instructors. Particular consideration is given to the beginning of the school twelvemonth. when novice instructors will experience ab initio exhausted and overwhelmed. Regular contacts and meetings between wise mans and mentees are scheduled throughout the school twelvemonth. Assistance in acclimatising get downing instructors to the school community is provided.

In my paper. I will show a mentoring program to be implemented with a systematic attack that supports instructors for the long tally. I will foremost discourse the construction of the proposed mentoring plan. which will include a elaborate action program that will take into history its design. duties. timeframes and resources. I will so discus some of the possible barriers the plan may confront. Then I will offer a decision. The program will be based on IST ethical beliefs and will aline to the schools mission statement.

Structure of the Mentoring Program & A ; Action Plan

I. Needs Assessment and Data Collection
To construction a mentoring plan. we will foremost hold to make a needs-assessment on the demands of new instructors. The intent is to develop professional communities for get downing instructors for the 2013-2014 school twelvemonth. A mentoring study and interview protocol will be conducted to place specific demands of new instructors at IST. The consequences gathered will be used to be after the following term and the school twelvemonth. Questionnaires will be addressed to instructors that work at IST and ideally to all instructors that have worked at IST over the past 5 old ages. Building principals. section caputs. human resource manager. and the course of study coordinator will besides take part. An interview procedure will be established to supply a deeper apprehension of the perceptual experiences and let interview participants to lucubrate more wholly on their ideas and observations.

Harmonizing to Gay and Airasian ( 2003 ) . “interviews can bring forth in-depth informations non possible with a questionnaire. and are most appropriate for inquiring inquiries that can non efficaciously be structured into a multiple-choice format. such as those that require drawn-out responses” ( pp. 290-291 ) . They farther emphasized that “the interviewer can frequently obtain informations that respondents would non give on a questionnaire. which may ensue in more accurate and honest responses since the interview can explicate and clear up both the intent of the research and single questions” ( p. 291 ) . Summaries of findings and recommendations of planning. development. and bringing shall be prepared by the school Teacher Head. The consequences shall be presented to the school board for the treatment of possible hereafter plans and better upon what the school is presently making.

II. Establishing the Vision and Goals
The vision of the Program will be to supply professional and emotional support for the new instructor. ensuing in increased professional
collegiality among all staff and heightening pupil acquisition. The inquiries will concentrate on the program’s effectivity. and aim the undermentioned ends: •Retaining quality instructors

•Improving instructor public presentation
•Supporting teacher morale
•Communicating and supplying confidential and collaborative support
•Offering counsel to novitiate instructors
•Delivering easier passage in the first twelvemonth of instruction

Questions will be developed in three separate versions with each version inquiring the same inquiry with somewhat different give voicing based on the function of the respondent.

III. Mentor Character. Attitude & A ; Selection
IST wise mans will be full clip wise mans and to go a wise man must foremost selected or invited by the country principals as campaigners. To go a wise man. a instructor will necessitate to hold 5 old ages of schoolroom learning experience and must be certified in the capable country or rate degree he/she wishes to mentor. For a instructor to be presented into wise man choice. the instructor must be committed to the ends of the mentoring program including regard for the confidential nature of the mentor/new instructor relationship. Knowledge on content and methodological analysis must be demonstrated and there must be an ability to joint it. Upon blessing by the Head Master the campaigner must successfully finish a three stage-training plan for preparedness before get downing their new function.

Proposed wise mans three stage-training plan:
•First phase of the preparation plan will be based on effectual communicating and peer training techniques. •Second phase of the preparation plan will develop wise mans in the usage of engineering including ( Blackboard. Active Inspire. Power School. and Discovery Education Streaming ) . •Third phase of the plan will be a self-study where wise mans will make Christ centered integrating into lesson edifice that will be presented and revised by the school board and Head Master.

Proposed IST wise mans will exhibit the undermentioned features. attitudes and Fictional character:
•Willing to be a function theoretical account for other instructors
•Exhibits strong committedness to the instruction profession
•Believes mentoring improves instructional pattern
•Willing to recommend on behalf of co-workers
•Willing to have preparation to better mentoring accomplishments
•Demonstrates a committedness to lifelong acquisition
•Is reflective and able to larn from errors
•Is tidal bore to portion information and thoughts with co-workers

•Is resilient. flexible. persistent. and open-minded
•Exhibits good wit and resourcefulness
•Enjoys new challenges and work outing jobs
Professional Competence and Experience:
•Is regarded by co-workers as an outstanding instructor
•Has first-class cognition of teaching method and capable affair

•Has assurance in his/her ain instructional accomplishments
•Demonstrates first-class classroom-management accomplishments
•Feels comfy being observed by other instructors
•Maintains a web of professional contacts
•Understands the policies and processs of IST & A ; Ministry of Education
•Is a punctilious perceiver of schoolroom pattern
•Collaborates good with other instructors and decision makers
•Is willing to larn new learning schemes from proteges

Communication Skills:
•Is able to joint effectual instructional schemes
•Listens attentively
•Asks inquiries that prompt contemplation and apprehension
•Offers reviews in positive and productive ways
•Uses engineering efficaciously
•Is efficient with the usage of clip
•Conveys enthusiasm and passion for learning
•Is discreet and maintains confidentiality

Interpersonal Skills:
•Is able to keep a trustful professional relationship
•Knows how to show attention for a protege’s emotional and professional demands
•Is attentive to sensitive political issues
•Works good with persons from different civilizations
•Is accessible ; easy establishes resonance with others and is patient

IV. Duties and Functions
Mentors will be carefully selected and ever looked for foremost from within the school. Mentor’s will portion answerability with the mentored in teacher’s formal and informal supervisory reappraisals. Depending on the consequences of teacher ratings. wise mans will be graded. Mentors will be strongly encouraged to develop close relationships with their instructors and the school will do attempts to supply equal resources necessary for societal assemblages. iceboats and squad edifice events and chances. All wise mans will be required to subscribe a minimal contract committedness of 4 old ages from the twenty-four hours they start their function. Because wise mans will be full clip wise mans. they must work with at least 4 instructors of which 3 must hold less than 3 twelvemonth learning experience. MS and HS section caput functions will no longer be and capable wise mans will be the new function. Such a structural alteration will extinguish the current hierarchal format in the current school system. The new construction will let greater trust. communicating. and squad atmosphere. Mentors shall concentrate on schoolroom activities. including instructional techniques and course of study. schoolroom direction and instructor public presentation.

A wise man will carry through the followers in his/her function:
•Facilitates a compatible working relationship with new instructors by discoursing outlooks and geting at a common apprehension about how best to work together. •Assesses the background of the new instructor and provides the type and sum of support indicated by this background. •Orient the new instructor to the school policies. processs. and outlooks •Visits the probationary teacher’s schoolroom and provides feedback. coaching and support. •Models effectual learning techniques.

•Is accessible for informal support and audience.
•She/He may non officially measure the probationary instructor. All observations and feedback provided by the wise man are for the intent of professional development and support and should be considered confidential. •May portion duty for a freshman instructor with one or more wise mans.

Harmonizing to Cohen and Fuller. instructors who participated in a plan for new instructors. of which mentoring was a big portion stayed with the profession at higher per centums so instructors who did non take part in a plan ( 2006 ) . Research besides shows that mentoring non merely benefits the mentored but the wise man as good. Smithey and Evertson in a survey province that instructors who had trained wise mans had better schoolroom organisation and direction every bit good as pupil battle than those who did non hold wise mans ( 2003 ) .

V. Measuring the Effectiveness of the Mentoring Program

The quality of schoolroom acquisition is the bottom line for measuring a mentoring plan. The rating of the plan must be driven by the ends established. Evaluation should be limited to results related to specific ends. Study betterments in schoolroom direction. teacher’s clip on undertaking. parent satisfaction. and the grade to which instructors being mentored usage clip and resources expeditiously. Crafting a set of inquiries that together. steer the undertaking rating to its intended result will assist supervise the plan. Keeping wise mans accountable and rating and careful certification aid both to better the effectivity of mentoring and to warrant the investing to the school board and education’s stakeholders. Content and rating are cardinal constituents of the long-run viability and success of the plan. Some possible instruments to place and roll up informations can be studies. in-depth interviews. focal point groups. journal entries. longitudinal surveies. and instance surveies.

Though extremely specific rating prosodies and tools are difficult to nail at this phase without the initial demands assessment consequences. some of the cardinal inquiries to see are: •To what extent do the mentor- new instructor relationships result in positive. longer-term. collegial relationships? •How does take parting in our undertaking lead into the longer-term professional development programs? •What grounds is at that place that pupils who are taught by new instructors who have wise mans learn better? •What grounds is at that place that pupils who are taught by new instructors who have wise mans have a more positive school experience? •What grounds will be used to measure and document the effectivity of the plan? •Student accomplishment informations?

•Indicators of instructor satisfaction?
•Teacher keeping informations?
•Decreased demand for teacher redress?
•Cost-benefit informations?
•Anecdotal grounds?
•Other indexs?

•Who should be involved in measuring and documenting the mentoring plan?

•An independent plan judge?
•Mentors?
•Proteges?
•School decision makers?
•Assigned parents of the PTO?
•Others?

VI. Proposed Timeline for Execution

Initial Needs AssessmentCompleted by March 30. 2013
Phase One ( Questionnaires ) Completed by February 15. 2013
Phase Two ( Interviews ) Completed by March 15. 2013

Based on the needs appraisal we will stipulate mentoring plan parametric quantities like capable countries of demand. figure of wise mans. professional development ends. fiscal resource. and any other concerns.

Development of Specific ParametersCompleted by March 30. 2013 Presentation and Approval by the BoardCompleted by the April 15. 2013 Recruitment and HiringApril 15 through June 15. 2013
Training Program
Phase OneCompleted by July 15. 2013
Phase TwoCompleted by July 30. 2013 and ongoing
Phase ThreeCompleted by August 10. 2013 and ongoing
Initial Evaluation30 Days from first learning twenty-four hours
Mid-Year Evaluation4. 5 Months into the twelvemonth ( January 2014 ) Year End Evaluation10 Months into the twelvemonth ( June 2014 )
Proposed Changes & A ; RecommendationsCompleted by June 30. 2014 Execution of ChangesCompleted by July 15. 2014
Recognition EventHeld in September 2014

VII. Acknowledge the Contribution and Results
Supplying acknowledgment for important part and achievements is an of import constituent of a healthy. safe and honoring mentoring environment. Small things like raps on the dorsum or the positive reference of one’s name affair. Both public acknowledgment and private praise for occupation well-done encouragement morale Foster squad spirit and raise keeping rates across the board for mentees. wise mans. voluntaries and staff likewise. Keeping at least one event a twelvemonth to let wise mans and mentees to be recognized non merely by their equals in the mentoring group but besides by the community at big will travel a long manner towards lifting morale and in pass oning the importance of the plan to the school.

VIII. Potential Barriers & A ; Redresss

The most obvious barrier to the execution of such a plan would be budgetary in nature. The enlisting and hiring of full clip wise mans would necessitate a committedness of financess from the school disposal. It would be worthwhile to indicate out that the school presently spends $ 35. 000 to $ 40. 000 on enrolling new instructors every twelvemonth. Decrease in turnover rates would automatically convey nest eggs in these enlisting outgos. every twelvemonth. Once recruited and hired wise mans will be committed to a 4-year assignment. It is projected that over the long tally. the mentoring plan will be able to fund itself from nest eggs obtained from these outgo decreases. However in the short tally. it may be necessary for the school to supply an initial spending of financess for the plan to acquire up and running. Specific budgetary concerns including a cost analysis can and will be a portion of the initial demands appraisal undertaken within the school. as a separate supplement. and the consequences will be portion of the presentation made to the board.

Inactiveness from an established school civilization is another possible barrier. The purpose of the mentoring plan to seek and promote bing instructors to mentorship functions. along with a comprehensive preparation plan. is an effort to smoothen this alteration in civilization. Furthermore wise mans from within. would do existing staff immediate stakeholders in the plan and therefore invested in the nutriment and success of the mentorship plan of the school.

Decision
Based on these generic rules. a specific mentoring plan for IST designed upon the information obtained from the initial demands appraisal. will let the school to cut down its current turnover rate and heighten pupil public presentation overall in the long tally. School decision makers today have diverse undertakings that are important to the accomplishment of pupils and although it can be hard for decision makers to maintain new instructors in the profession. mentoring can better the quality of a instructor. every bit good as keep instructors in the profession longer. therefore bettering the success and accomplishments of pupils. Harmonizing to Moir. “Effective initiation plans combine high quality mentoring with communities of practice” ( 2009 ) . but because every school is different there is no exact or no specific design that would run into the demands of every school. However research concludes that some general regulations of a good mentoring plan include taking into history that the right clip is given for wise mans and mentee to work together. that their exists confidentiality among wise man and mentee and that the arrangement of a right wise man is given to the mentee. partner offing similar co-workers that can portion experiences is indispensable.

Resources

Cohen. Ben & A ; Fuller. Edward J ( 2006. April ) . Effectss of mentoring and initiation on get downing teacher keeping. Presented at the one-year meeting of the American Educational Research Association. San Francisco.
Galvez-Hjornevik. C. 1986. “Mentoring Among Teachers: A Review of the Literature. ” Journal of Teacher Education. 37 ( 1 ) . 6–11. Gay. L. R. & A ; Airaisian. Peter. ( 2003 ) . Educational Research: Competences for Analysis and Application. Merrill/Prentice Hall ( 7th Ed ) Ingersoll. R. . & A ; Kralik. J. ( 2004 ) . The impact of mentoring on teacher keeping: What the research says. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. European Union. org/clearinghouse/50/36/50036. hypertext markup language Ingersoll. R. & A ; Strong. M. ( 2011 ) . The Impact of Induction and Mentoring Programs for Get downing Teachers: A Critical Review of the Research. “http: //rer. sagepub. com/content/81/2/201” hypertext transfer protocol: //rer. sagepub. com/content/81/2/201 Moir. E. ( 2009 ) . Accelerating Teacher Effectiveness: Lessons Learned from Two Decades of New Teacher Induction. Kappan: Santa Cruz Smith. T. . & A ; Ingersoll. R. ( 2004 ) . What are the effects of initiation and mentoring on get downing instructor turnover? American Educational Research Journal. 41. 681- 714. Department of the interior: 10. 3102/00028312041003681 Smithey. M. W. & A ; Evertson. C. M. ( 2003 ) . System-wide mentoring for new instructors: A school system and university partnership. Teacher Education and Practice. 16 ( 3 ) . Sweeny. B. ( 2008 ) . Leading the instructor initiation and mentoring plan ( 2nd Ed. ) . Thousand Oaks. CA: Corwin Press.

Wong. H. ( 2005 ) . New Teacher Initiation: The Foundation for Comprehensive. Coherent and Sustained Professional Development