Six Districts and the University of Georgia GSTEP Collaborative: The Results Are In

Support for teacher induction has undergone major changes for the six schools districts of Barrow, Clarke, Jackson, Madison, Oconee and Oglethorpe counties involved in the GSTEP at the University of Georgia. Four years ago and before involvement with GSTEP, if leadership were asked, “What are you doing to support teacher induction?” the answer then would have been something like this:

We have teacher mentors in our schools trained to be Teacher Support Specialists, a designation determined by the state to merit additional state stipends for those teachers who mentor our beginning teachers. We know we need to be doing more because our turnover rate is higher than we would like for it to be. We know we’re losing too many teachers. We don’t really know why they are leaving, but we believe it’s due to a variety of factors. We continue to discuss what we could be doing to keep them—but we haven’t implemented anything yet.

Ask those schools leaders the same questions today and the answers will be much different. Teacher induction in these districts has been transformed. The transformation has been based on belief statements generated by what came to be known officially as The Six Districts and the University of Georgia GSTEP Collaborative.

We believe that:

• teacher induction and mentoring must be distinct from teacher evaluation.
• teachers enter the profession with talents, knowledge, and skills that continue to develop over time.
• the outcome of the induction and mentoring process must be improved teacher quality and retention and should result in enhanced student learning.
• the induction and mentoring of beginning teachers is a shared responsibility of the entire school community which must include all stakeholders.
• those decisions made regarding induction programs must be grounded in data.
• school-based induction and mentoring efforts must be included in school and district-wide professional learning experiences.
• ongoing instructional support must be the primary focus of effective induction and mentoring programs.

These beliefs generated methods for surveying teachers entering the profession and those exiting the school system, while producing several mentoring and induction models. School district, RESA and university personnel attended conferences on mentoring and induction that were sponsored by the Six Districts Collaborative. Induction personnel were hired in two school systems. A research group was formed with the goal of linking higher quality induction for teachers to improved teacher quality and increased student achievement.
In addition, plans are in place to continue several initiatives after the funding for GSTEP ends. Support mechanisms for induction leaders are being established in each of the six districts. The Six Districts Collaborative will continue to survey beginning and exiting teachers in the six districts and plans to expand those surveys to other school districts in the Northeast Georgia RESA area. Training on mentoring/induction models, such as the Critical Friends Group training, will continue to be offered to school system personnel. Professional learning will occur within school districts through the use of the BRIDGE. The Collaborative continues to share information with key administrators across school districts on induction, mentoring, and retention.

Teacher induction will not return to its previous state, according to key personnel from these six districts who participated in the collaborative. Instead, they will continue to seek ways to improve the initiatives currently underway and work to create a supportive induction system that will aid in the increase in teacher retention and professional growth.

—Sylvia Weller