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© 2003
Harry K. Wong Publications, Mountain View, CA |
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Exemplary Induction Programs Framework for Inducting, Retaining, and
Supporting Teachers (FIRST) The Lafourche Parish Public Schools with its central office in Thibodaux, Louisiana, has instituted the Framework for Inducting, Retaining, and Supporting Teachers (FIRST) program. The primary purpose of the program is to improve student achievement. To accomplish this, the FIRST program has the three main goals:
Inception of the FIRST Program When the program was originally being developed, the Lafourche
Parish schools researched some of the most successful induction
programs and used these programs as models. In doing so, they looked
first to what has been called the "mother of all induction A Cooperative Effort Lafourche attributes much of the success of its FIRST program to the combined efforts of the following people: teachers, students, and administrators in all of its 27 schools, central office administrators, curriculum coordinators, site-based instructional facilitators, parents, school board members, community members, and the faculty members of the education department at Nicholls State University, who work closely and collaboratively with the school system to ensure top-quality preservice teacher preparation. Program Description Lafourche typically hires between 40 and 60 first-time teachers in August to fill positions in its 27 schools. The highly acclaimed success of its induction program has become one of the district's main attractions for new teachers. The program consists of three years of ongoing training and support. It commences with a highly structured four-day training session for all new teachers in early August, before school begins. New teachers receive stipends to attend. Even though participation is voluntary, 99 percent of new teachers participate eagerly. On the first day, new teachers are greeted and welcomed by the superintendent, the assistant superintendent, supervisors, principals, coordinators, school board members, and experienced teachers. Welcome banners adorn the training arena, and refreshments are served. Each participant's picture is taken and placed on a map of the district next to the school where that participant will be teaching. The new teachers are seated in cooperative groups and they immediately begin their first "bellwork" assignment, which allows everyone to get to know one another. The superintendent officially welcomes everyone, sharing the district's philosophy, goals, and culture. The three curriculum coordinators are the main presenters throughout the four days. Other presenters include a Title 1 coordinator, a special education coordinator, a principal, experienced teachers, and a second-year teacher.
Each participant receives a copy of The First Days of School11 along with a new teacher binder that includes the following:
The atmosphere is comfortable, pleasant, and workoriented. The setting replicates a model classroom. The curriculum coordinators are the "teachers" and the new teachers become the "students." Participants remain actively involved in all lessons. Procedures and routines are immediately established, modeled, and practiced in order to set the stage for a well-managed classroom. Day 1 focuses on classroom management and local policies and procedures. Days 2 and 3 address the first days of school, discipline, instructional strategies, assessment techniques, working with parents, and meeting individual learner needs. Though a variety of topics are addressed during the four days, the primary focus remains on classroom management. On Day 3 a second-year teacher talks to the new teachers about the value of the induction process. This teacher entertains questions from the inductees and shares personal first-year experiences. On Day 4, after a general review, there is an awards ceremony, where new teachers receive certificates of achievement for completion of the initial phase of the induction process. A luncheon follows, where new teachers meet mentor teachers, principals, school board members, and administrative staff members. On the afternoon of Day 4, the new teachers visit demonstration classrooms specific to their grade levels and receive advice and instruction from some of the district's most successful veteran teachers. In January the school district hires between 30 and 40 more first-time teachers. For those new teachers hired in January, a "streamlined" two-day initial induction session is conducted
At each school site new teachers are paired with mentor teachers, who offer guidance and assistance during the first two years of teaching. Mentor teachers are paid for their services. The mentoring component is state-funded. The new teacher's particular needs, grade level, and assignment, as well as the location of the new teacher's classroom, are all considered in matching mentors with new teachers. These mentor teachers, selected for their excellence in teaching, receive three days of intensive training conducted by the curriculum coordinators and they continue to receive ongoing training throughout their tenure. They remain classroom teachers but receive release time to work with the new teachers. The mentor teachers work collaboratively with the district curriculum coordinators and site-based instructional facilitators in conducting informal observations of the newly-hired teachers. These observations are not used for evaluation; the intent is to provide new teachers with specific, immediate, nonthreatening feedback on their teaching performance. Individual improvement plans are developed in order to enhance each new teacher's present skills
Lafourche has instructional facilitators in each of their K-8 schools. They hand-select their most effective teachers to spend their days in classrooms conducting demonstration lessons, observing and providing feedback, assisting teachers in setting up classroom management plans, and lending their ears, shoulders, and expertise to new teachers. It's so much more effective than their mentoring component-not because the mentors aren't doing excellent jobs, but because they have their own classrooms and can't always provide immediate assistance and feedback. These facilitators are in the classrooms daily, reinforcing all of the things taught to the new teachers during induction. The instructional facilitators receive training from the school system. Lafourche also conducts monthly support group meetings for them and the facilitators in turn, go back and host monthly meetings for the new teachers and provide ongoing training for their entire staffs.
Another component of the induction process involves monthly district-level new teacher support group meetings. During these meetings new teachers share their experiences, voice concerns, and cooperatively seek solutions to problems. The curriculum coordinators facilitate these meetings. New teachers are also required to participate in the Louisiana Teacher Assistance and Assessment Program, with formal observations determining certification decisions. All teachers participating in this program receive two additional days of training in September on the Louisiana Components of Effective Teaching. The FIRST program has recently been adopted as a statewide induction model, as induction has become an integral component of the state's assistance and assessment program. The new statewide program is now known as "Louisiana FIRST." In April new teachers return for a one-day induction review. On this day new teachers address ongoing concerns, share first-year teaching experiences, and receive additional training. During the second and third years of the induction process, the curriculum coordinators and instructional facilitators continue to work closely with the new teachers. Classroom observations are ongoing. In addition, second- and third-year teachers attend four half-day sessions to receive further training in classroom management, authentic assessment, the Louisiana Components of Effective Teaching, high-stakes testing, instructional strategies, positive discipline techniques, and instructional decision making. During one segment of each session, participants pose questions, voice concerns, seek solutions to common classroom problems, and share personal classroom experiences. Again, participants are paid stipends to attend. Second- and third-year teachers also have the option of participating in monthly support group meetings. Another means of support for the new teachers is the Prescriptive Inservice Program. The program consists of successful veteran teachers providing monthly inservice training for participants and conducting ongoing, informal prescriptive observations with feedback. Participation is voluntary and any teacher requiring additional support may participate. Role of the Principal At each school site the role of the principal in the induction process is an important one. To ensure consistency between what is promoted during the initial induction training and what will be promoted in the schools, principals receive awareness training before the actual induction process begins. At each school the principal provides orientation, support, encouragement, and guidance for the new teachers, along with opportunities for ongoing assistance and staff development. During the initial induction training in early August, one of the principals provides some of the actual training. New teachers hear-from a principal's viewpoint-what will be expected of them regarding professional attire, attitude, responsibilities, and professionalism in general. Program Results Data collected since 1993 indicate a dramatic decrease in the rate of new teacher attrition in the Lafourche Parish school system. Just a few short years ago, the Lafourche Parish school system had a vision. The goal: to implement an induction program that would ease the way for new teachers by providing ongoing training and support. The results: overwhelming enthusiasm on the part of new teachers, mentors, administrators, school board members, and the community, a drastic decrease in new teacher attrition rates, and a culture of more confident, competent, qualified new teachers influencing the lives of thousands of students. And all within a budget of $50,000 a year. Compare this investment with "The Costs of Low Retention" in Chapter 1, page 6. This a small price to pay for an endeavor on which no dollar amount could possibly be placed: the children, our future. For information on the Lafourche Parish Public Schools' FIRST program, contact Annette Breaux,
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