Theme and Strands

CONFERENCE THEMES

Comprehensive Induction: The Success of the New Teacher is
the Responsibility of the Entire Community

Comprehensive induction programs must include three components: Recruitment, Development, and Retention.  Without all three, successful induction is unlikely.  The Beginning Teacher Center recognizes that these individual components function symbiotically, yet communities must consider the best practices, strategies, and resources that are needed to successfully implement each. 

The conference program will address best practices, current challenges, research, and innovation in new teacher induction. It is our goal to offer workshops that are interactive, collaborative, practical, and analytical.

STRANDS

RECRUITMENT

What approach might district or school induction teams take to attract the most qualified candidates?

How do we:
•Design, implement, and support district-based models for new teacher induction programs?
• Advocate for policy that supports Professional Learning Communities?
• Model best practices of district-based induction programs?
• Model proven recruitment strategies and induction programs from alternative schools (higher Ed, charter schools, etc)?
• Strengthen links between education school career offices and hiring districts?
• Support the development of a teaching staff that is reflective of the diversity of its student body?
• Target a content-specific and professionally diverse teaching core?
• Foster interest in teaching, targeting specific levels? 
• Utilize the whole community as a recruitment tool?

DEVELOPMENT

How is school culture strengthened by the intellectual and affective development of new teachers and their support communities?

How do we
• Guide induction programs toward success?
• Successfully mentor?
• Design, implement, and sustain support mechanisms for induction team leaders?
• Cultivate administrators as leaders and managers of induction?
• Strengthen and differentiate professional development with quality induction?
• Define the induction needs of new teachers (secondary level, middle, elementary)?
• Utilize successful induction as an approach to close the achievement gap?
• Establish a working partnership between districts and teacher unions around comprehensive induction?

RETAINING NEW TEACHERS

How do we retain new teachers through new teacher induction programs?

How do we
• Mentor for student success?
• Use data to improve new teacher induction programs?
• Inspire total community investment in helping all teachers succeed?
• Support principals as effective leaders?
• Utilize successful partnerships with teacher unions to retain new teachers?
• Provide professionally rewarding career paths for all teachers?
• Transform school and/or district culture through a new teacher induction program?
• Integrate comprehensive induction into everyday scheduling?
• Ensure the survival of induction in an era of reform and budget cuts?
• Harness new teachers’ energy as a catalyst for school improvement?

Beginning Teachers Conference