阿宾顿 mentoring program aims to stem first-year teacher attrition

两个女人坐在长凳上聊天

退休教师Denise Fischer和Eman Metwaly, a new graduate of the 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 小学和幼儿教育 program, were paired up through the campus 教师教育辅导计划. 

来源:腾讯分分彩平台

阿宾顿,爸爸. — Research out of Penn State’s Center for Evaluation and Education Policy Analysis found that the highest attrition rates among teachers in the Philadelphia region were for those with the least amount of experience. Retaining early career teachers is an important strategy in improving teacher effectiveness and ultimately student outcomes, so 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 学院创建了 教师教育辅导计划 (TEMP) to support new alumni as they launch their careers in the classroom. 

“This program is important because it sets our graduating teachers apart from the competition because they come with a Penn State-supported mentor,” 泰瑞先锋军, an assistant teaching professor and field service coordinator in the 小学和幼儿教育 项目(EECE). "The research is really clear on attrition rate for first-year teachers with no support. Programs like ours are necessary to keep teachers in the classrooms."

先锋军和 Boni Wozolek, 欧洲经委会副教授, pair new 阿宾顿 graduates with retired educators whose experience mirrors the demographics of the school where the new teacher is assigned. Alumni working in schools and districts with majority minority populations are prioritized for matches. 

The approach is structured to ensure that the most challenging topics for first-year teachers, 例如家长会和校长观察, 得到解决. They meet twice each month on Zoom during the first half of the academic year, 然后在1月10日以后减少到每月一次. 1.  

Mentors provide resources and advice in exchange for a modest stipend, 新老师必须用什么来布置教室, 这往往是教师们意想不到的代价. 

The program has been so successful in its first two years that administrators at several schools have agreed to include 阿宾顿 students in at least the first round of interviews for open positions with the hope that the students will be selected to receive support from TEMP. 

香农马修斯, 她是一名早期职业教师,也是阿宾顿大学的校友, said her mentor's concern for her well-being and knowledge of teaching has been invaluable.

"I have gotten so many more tips and tools on how to be an effective educator. It has been so comforting to know that I have strong support system, 一个愿意帮我的人. It is so important for first year teachers  to have this support since they will also have so many new responsibilities that can be overwhelming,她说.

Denise Fischer mentored more than two dozen student teachers and early career teachers before she retired a few years ago. 她说,她热衷于通过TEMP来支持他们.  

“我永远不会忘记我当老师的第一个开放日之夜. 我的膝盖几乎要弯了. Similarly, my mentee was concerned about her first observation by the principal. We spent a lot of time reviewing her plans and making contingencies. She was prepared, and our mentorship really clicked that day,” Fischer said. 

“我想她觉得她可以对我说些什么,而不会被评判. 我不在那栋楼里. 我在那里只是为了她. 我们有一种联系, and we don’t have to worry about the political things that may go on within the school,她接着说. 

Fischer praised Dodaro for motiving and encouraging the mentors.  

“我从不觉得她要求太多. 她认为我们是帮助她的关键, and she gave us amazing amounts of reading material to update us on what teaching is like after the pandemic. 泰瑞总是在那里回答问题,”费舍尔说. 

The idea for TEMP sprouted from the experience of one of Dodaro’s “star students” when she taught at another university

“This young woman received the student teaching award as an undergraduate, 但她在第一年的12月就辞职了. Her mentor in the school district was assigned to nine other teachers and often wasn’t available. My student had questions and concerns about policy and other issues, 但她淹死了,退出了,”她说。. 

心烦意乱, 多达罗去找了沃佐莱克, and they decided that they needed to develop a plan to mentor first-year 阿宾顿 graduates who are teaching in urban centers.  

“我们正处于国家危机之中, and we need to begin to rewrite what education looks like right here at 阿宾顿. We train students well and provide a mentor for the first year,” Dodaro said. “无论你去哪里都很难, but our mission within our education program is to support our urban centers, 该地区资金最少的学校是哪些.” 

关于宾大阿宾顿 

腾讯分分彩平台官网分校提供了一个负担得起的, accessible and high-impact education resulting in the success of a diverse student body. It is committed to student success through innovative approaches to 21st-century public higher education within a world-class research university. 有3个以上,100名学生, 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 is a residential campus that offers baccalaureate degrees in 25 majors, 速成硕士学位, 本科研究, 施赖尔荣誉学院, NCAA三级田径和更多. 

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