New Teacher Center Policy News

March 2011


Welcome to the inaugural edition of NTC Policy News!  

 

Through this monthly newsletter, we will communicate our vision for high-quality induction and supportive teaching conditions as essential policy ingredients for education reform. We look forward to providing information that will help you to strengthen the teaching profession, build supportive school communities, and improve student outcomes.  

 

State and federal policies play a key role in building and sustaining induction and mentoring programs and in providing positive teaching and learning conditions for new educators. The New Teacher Center helps policymakers and educational leaders understand how high-quality induction programs accelerate new teacher effectiveness and strengthen classroom teaching. NTC policy informs the development of public policies that promote comprehensive approaches to new teacher support that reduce attrition and improve teaching and learning.

 

As the nation's premier organization focused on supporting new educators, the NTC hopes that this newsletter will help you to ensure that every student in America has an excellent teacher.  

 

When we focus on teachers, our students succeed!

 

Liam Goldrick, Director of Policy 

 

Illinois State Profile: NTC Policy in Action  

In the last six years, teacher induction has been transformed from a dormant state mandate into a cornerstone of Illinois education policy with state funding of $5.62 million in FY 2011 supporting more than 60 induction and mentoring programs in over 300 school districts. Outlined below is a summary of how that transformation came about that serves as a roadmap for state policy development. 

 

The New Teacher Center's work in Illinois began at the 2005 Midwest Induction Policy Summit, convened with support from The Joyce Foundation. Through the formation of strategic partnerships with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the Illinois New Teacher Collaborative (INTC), the Consortium for Educational Change, the Illinois Education Association, and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, NTC led and contributed to the development of state induction program standards and an accompanying continuum of program development.  In 2006, we also established the Chicago New Teacher Center, providing high-quality induction and coaching for new teachers in Chicago Public Schools.

   

Over the last two years, NTC policy and advocacy work across Illinois has been focused on building the capacity of state-funded induction programs to extend their reach and strengthen their quality. Key contributions and highlights include: 

  • A campaign to build support for new teacher induction, including publication of a one-page advocacy document that was endorsed by seven influential statewide organizations.
  • Advocacy and communication skill-building workshops provided to nearly all state-funded induction programs, including sessions at the INTC's 6th Annual Induction and Mentoring Conference.
  • Representation of teacher induction programs at all six FY 2012 state budget hearings of ISBE's Finance and Audit Committee. NTC staff  testified about the benefits of teacher induction at the hearings.
  • Development and launch of an induction/mentoring survey of districts that do not currently receive state funding (in partnership with INTC and ISBE). The survey data will provide important information about new teacher induction and mentoring activity across the state.

How State Policy Impacts Induction Program Implementation 

A new NTC policy paper explores the relationship between state policy and local induction program implementation. New Teacher Excellence: The Impact of State Policy on Induction Program Implementation - written in partnership with the American Institutes for Research - examines differences in induction program implementation in three states: California, Hawaii and Illinois.  

 

The paper offers conclusions about the impact of state policy on local program design, implementation, and overall quality, and it identifies four critical state policy levers that strengthen program implementation: (1) A link between induction and licensure; (2) Dedicated state funding; (3) A state-level program infrastructure; and (4) Induction program standards and program networks. Finally, it offers state-specific recommendations and next steps for policy in the three states studied.

 

Visit our policy reports web page to access all available NTC policy publications.

 

TELL: Teaching and Learning Conditions Surveys 

Research indicates strong connections among teaching conditions and teacher recruitment, retention and student success, and policymakers have recently started to pay attention to this important aspect of school culture.

 

The NTC's Teaching and Learning Conditions initiative is an online tool that collects perceptions of all teachers, principals and other licensed educators about the presence of critical teaching conditions including induction, school leadership, decision-making, resources, and time. Since 2008, the initiative has captured the voices of more than 500,000 educators in 12 states and 9 school districts. 

 

In February 2011, NTC launched the Teaching, Empowering, Leading & Learning Survey in Tennessee.  TELL Tennessee is the first survey of its kind and is part of the state's winning  Race to the Top federal grant application. The online, anonymous survey of all licensed public school educators in Tennessee's public schools is designed to garner their perception of their school environments.

 

NTC is currently administering teaching and learning conditions surveys in Colorado and Kentucky  as well. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said that the TELL Colorado survey would help to "ensure that every educator in Colorado has what they need to do their best work with our children." Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday promoted participation in the TELL Kentucky survey on his blog.

 

NTC also received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the foundation's Measures of Effective Teaching project where the survey was administered in select schools and districts across the country.

 

Teaching Policy In The News

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn Proposes Greater Funding for Educator Mentoring Programs in FY 2012 Budget

Funding for the state's Teacher & Administrator Mentoring Program would increase from $5.6 million in FY 2011 to $6.8 million in FY 2012 under the Governor's proposed budget. The appropriation for Principal Mentoring Program would more than double, from $831,000 in FY 2011 to $2.2 million in FY 2012.

Sources: [budget.illinois.gov] [Illinois Association of School Boards]

 

Tennessee Survey Seeks Input From Educators on Teaching Conditions

All school-based licensed educators can anonymously and voluntarily share perceptions of their teaching and learning conditions, which research has shown to be critical to student achievement and teacher retention.

Source: [Tennessee Government Newsroom]

 

Texas Bill Would Strengthen State Teacher Induction Program

State Sen. Florence Shapiro (R-Allen) filed Senate Bill 570 that would establish program standards for high-quality induction, create new teacher support teams, and foster collaboration between teacher education programs and school districts. 

Sources: [SB 570] [Allen City Limits]

 

Michigan State Board Proposes Reforms to Enhance Teacher Mentoring

Michigan State Board of Education reform recommendations include the adoption of a three-tier teacher certification system. It would enhance "new teacher mentoring, recognition and opportunities for increased recognition and compensation based on demonstration of proficiency."

Source: [Michigan State Board of Education]

 

Poor Working Conditions Drive Teacher Turnover Down Under

Australia's first longitudinal study of teachers has found that "workplace issues of highly stressful, poor working conditions" are the primary cause of high rates of new teacher attrition.

Source: [The Age]

 

NTC Policy News is a monthly publication by the  New Teacher Center. It is produced with funding support from the Joyce Foundation. Based in Chicago, Illinois, the Joyce Foundation invests in initiatives to improve public education and works to close the achievement gap by improving the quality of teachers in schools that serve low-income and minority children.

 

  

 
In This Issue
Illinois State Profile: NTC Policy in Action
How State Policy Impacts Induction Program Implementation
TELL: Teaching and Learning Conditions Surveys
Teaching Policy In The News
Video Highlights NTC Work
NTC Profiled as 'High Impact Philanthropy'
NTC Named Skoll Award Recipient

 Video Highlights  

NTC Work

Impacting Student Learning by Accelerating Teacher Effectiveness

A just-released NTC  Video communicates new teachers' struggles and showcases the impact that mentoring by expert teachers can have on new teacher retention, effectiveness and student learning.  

 

This and other videos are available on the NTC YouTube Channel

 

NTC Profiled as  

'High Impact Philanthropy'

A new report from the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania profiles the NTC teacher induction model as a highly effective funding avenue for today's results-oriented philanthropists who wish to address teaching quality, student achievement and teacher effectiveness and retention. Click here to read more.

 

NTC Named  

Skoll Award Recipient

The Skoll Foundation has named CEO Ellen Moir and the New Teacher Center a recipient of the 2011 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship.  Click here

to read more.

 

Contact Us

Email us at NTC Policy 


NTC Staff:

 

Policy  

Liam Goldrick, Director 

David Osta, Associate Director Dara Barlin, Associate Director 


Teaching & Learning Conditions

Andrew Sioberg, Director


Communications

Jane Baker, Director 

Tracy Kremer, Senior Manager  

 

External Affairs
Eric Hirsch, Chief Officer
Ann Maddock, Senior Policy
                     Advisor
Jennifer Burn, Project Manager/
                     Newsletter Editor

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