Effective Teacher Induction and Mentoring

A well-known authority on teacher induction programs offers the most comprehensive, up-to-date review of all recent research on the effectiveness of mentoring and induction support for new teachers. Michael Strong provides a revealing analysis of teacher induction programs and their consequences for education, teacher quality, teacher effectiveness, and teacher development. Because mentoring programs can be costly, particularly in large urban school districts with high teacher turnover rates, there is a rapidly growing body of research on program structures and their outcomes. This valuable book synthesizes the relevant research in a manner that is accessible, straightforward, and useful. This critical review will benefit educational decision makers by:

• Bringing together the most important research findings in one volume.
• Offering the author’s expert opinion on the research, some of which he conducted at the New Teacher Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
• Describing the specific contexts in which the research took place.
• Detailing what is needed to implement and evaluate induction/mentoring programs.
• Outlining how to obtain the data necessary to determine whether a program is effective.

Michael Strong is Director of Research for the New Teacher Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

“Finally, the information we have needed regarding support for new teachers is in one book. Well written, based on scientific research, and extremely important to the teaching profession, this book is a must-read.”
—Ed Pultorak, Former ATE President, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

“This volume is a unique and valuable resource for researchers, policy makers, school leaders, and education practitioners interested in helping new teachers survive and succeed in our schools.”
—From the Foreword by Richard M. Ingersoll, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania

“Dr. Michael Strong offers a detailed and well-balanced appraisal of the empirical evidence on the impact of teacher mentoring and induction programs. This is a ‘must-read’ for anyone who is interested in this topic.”
— Rodney T. Ogawa, Professor of Education, UCSC, Santa Cruz, California

“This balanced and informative book is a cautionary tale about the challenges of using empirical research to answer some of our most important educational questions. I for one continue to believe in the power of educative mentoring and comprehensive induction.”
—Sharon Feiman-Nemser, Brandeis University