A Small District Grows a BIG New Teacher Induction Program

by Patricia Reeves, Annette Smitley, and Pat Wilson O’Leary, Vicksburg Community Schools

The Michigan School Code (Section 1526) requires school districts to provide a new teacher with a mentor and 15 days of professional development across the first three years of employment. Vicksburg Community Schools (VCS), a rural Class B district in Kalamazoo County, has created a new teacher induction program that serves as a driving force for school improvement within its own district. The program is so successful that districts across the state have adopted the program.

Vicksburg’s new teacher induction, mentoring, and coaching program is the cornerstone of the district’s strategic school improvement process. Through this program, VCS establishes norms for professional practice, a shared vocabulary, shared commitments, and shared teaching strategies built on best practice. The program provides training and extended learning opportunities for veteran staff, placing continuous learning at the heart of professional practice in the district. Through this program, Vicksburg’s new and veteran teachers learn to collaborate with each other to find solutions that raise student achievement.

Necessity Called for Invention

Like other districts, Vicksburg must raise student achievement for all students in the face of severely reduced resources. Adding to that challenge is an increasing rate of teacher and administrator turnover. In fact, 43 percent of Vicksburg’s staff was hired between 1995 and 2000, with 32 percent hired between 1997 and 2000. By the 1999–2000 school year, 30 percent of the district’s high school teachers and 9 percent of K-8 teachers were “new.” Vicksburg administrators expected these new teachers to work in new ways to meet rising standards for student achievement. Clearly, VCS realized its need to invest time and resources into new teacher induction and mentoring. At the same time, VCS wanted to strengthen the leadership skills of its experienced staff. To respond to this challenge, the district introduced course work for new teachers in 1997 and added mentor training in 1999.

How It Works

Good collaboration is the key. Two educators facilitate the Vicksburg program, one to oversee mentoring and another to provide new teacher training. Annette Smitley, high school teacher and instructional consultant, directs the mentor program, teaching one class each semester in addition to her full-time director’s duties. Pat Wilson O’Leary, instructional specialist, provides training and observations for a series of new teacher courses. Both Annette and Pat provide leadership training and observations for mentors as well.

At present, Vicksburg’s new teacher induction program spans three years, encompassing a “total package” of activities including the following:

• A welcome day for first year teachers
• Instructional skills course—Year One
• A day with your mentor before school starts—Year One
• Cooperative learning course—Year Two
• Observations and coaching by course instructor and building mentor—
  Years One through Three
• Observation by other teachers—upon request
• Leadership training for mentor teachers

For new teachers, the required program consists of a series of staff development programs spread across two years. In addition, teachers select from optional conferences and other events to complete 15 days of additional professional development any time during the three-year mentoring period (see Figure 1 below). As a result, principals report new teachers are “up to speed” sooner and stay in the district longer. One new teacher reported, “I like the fact that Vicksburg values new teachers and takes measures to ensure that they stick around!”

The mentoring process begins with the selection of tenured teachers to serve in the role for new teachers. In Vicksburg, tenured teachers express an interest in being a mentor to their principal or to Pat or Annette. If a mentor is needed in their grade level and building, principals are consulted, and the candidate is approached. Upon completion of duties, teachers are paid $1,500 for mentoring a first year teacher, $600 for mentoring a second year teacher, and $300 for mentoring a third year teacher. The mentoring coaches learn leadership skills including communication, trust building, coaching, observation, and conferencing (see Figure 2 below) before interacting directly with junior teachers in their new role. Mentors then put these skills to work by observing and coaching the new teachers. New teachers benefit, but the mentors also gain from the experience.

“Being a veteran teacher can be like acting in a well-rehearsed play. When I mentor, I relive what it is like to begin again. I am energized every year by this feeling of starting over again,” said one high school teacher. Coaching is done one-to-one between the mentor and new teacher. Our district, and others we serve, has not had an enduring coaching program before this experience. Mentoring a new colleague gives veterans a reason to discuss professional practice not just give advice or hand over files.

In Vicksburg, we have found that a comprehensive program of new teacher induction, mentoring, and coaching, combined with strategic initiatives to develop and strengthen teacher leadership, provides a powerful formula to fuel our school improvement process. After seeing nearly eight years of results, we have concluded that we cannot afford to short-change our investment in this program in the name of saving money. The cost to students would be too dear and the loss of momentum to our school improvement initiatives too devastating. Districts with whom we have shared the program agree. They are seeing the program improve school culture, elevate the level of professional practice, enhance teacher leadership, and, best of all, raise student achievement.

For more information, contact: Annette Smitley, Director of Vicksburg Community Schools Mentor Program, Vicksburg High School, (269) 321-1295, asmitley@vicksburg.k12.mi.us; Pat Wilson O’Leary, Instructional Specialist, Vicksburg Administration Building, (269) 321-1038, patwo@vicksburg.k12.mi.us; or Dr. Patricia Reeves (former Superintendent of the Vicksburg Community Schools), Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership, College of Education, Western Michigan University, patricia.reeves@wmich.edu.