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Improving New Teacher Induction Strategies

EAD 523

April 6, 2022

Rationale and Standard Alignment

The alignment to this standard is community, as a future leader of a school one must

ensure to collaborate and build commandries between teachers and the community. This

assignment is based on how to make new teachers feel included and what steps the school takes

to make new teachers feel welcome. During this time, I had the privilege of interviewing

teachers who were new to the school. to improve the student’s academics a leader must use

collaboration strategies to collect, analyze, and interpret school, student, faculty, and community

information. Having a new induction program on campus allows for the community

involvement, through allowing parents to meet their students’ new teachers, perhaps during an

open classroom day, standard four mentions that as a leader, it is important to communicate

information about the school within the community. The program in this assignment involves

new teachers getting to know their community, the new teachers become a community withing

new teachers from across the district. This is amazing because standard 4 mentions that

collaboration and communication techniques are needed for the improvement of the school’s

educational environment.
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Induction Plan

I had the opportunity to review the Isaac School District new teacher induction plan and

the Pueblo del Sol new teacher plan as well. ISD is number 5 in Phoenix, Arizona, they have

been around quite a few decades, throughout the years they have changed their new teacher

orientation. During this time all new hires, including principals, teachers and instructional

specialist are invites to events throughout the week before the first day of school to get to know

each other. The last three days they are taken to their site of employment and there they begin

their new teacher induction plan, but monthly they continue to have meetings during the

academic year. Through the new teacher induction plan, teachers learn more about the

community that surrounds their teaching sites, and teachers are also able to share their newest

experiences with a collaborative group of new teachers, school leaders and instructional

specialist.

Benefits of the Induction Plan

There were a few steps that were take through the district before the actual school plan

which makes sense because the district HR are the first to hire and go through the process of

hiring. Pueblo’s plan includes welcoming teachers with a breakfast and introduction plan of how

the school operates. The second day teachers get to visit their classrooms and welcome new

teachers into a campus tour. Pueblo is a huge school, so teachers take the time to visit downstairs

classrooms as well, middle school is upstairs. The third day teachers get to meet their mentor for

the year, a person they can lean on and learn from through guidance and begin new co-teaching

partners. The mentor is usually a veteran teacher who is whiling to help and lead the new teacher

to how the school operates and in any instructional, classroom management the new teacher may

need support in.

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Teacher Inductions Interview

I had the privilege to interview Mrs. Vargas, she is an ELA and SEI targeted teacher at

Pueblo del Sol. During the interview I asked Mrs. Vargas the following, what did your new

teacher induction include? She replied, “the first thing that was included in my new teacher

induction program was a welcome letter from the Chief Human Resources Officer. Within the

letter, there was information regarding the New Teacher Orientation Program (NTIP). It said all

new staff members were to report to Isaac Middle School in a week where they would go over

necessary information. The next step was the (NTIP) meeting where they introduced different

staff members of the district including the Human Resource Department. The meeting reviewed

benefits, employee pay, sick time, and much more. After the meeting teachers were asked to visit

their schools to meet the staff and given time to set up their classrooms. The final part of (NTIP)

is still ongoing. New staff members are asked to participate in different Saturday virtual

meetings where they review helpful information for new teachers”.

The second question was broken down into sections by Mrs. Vargas, she said the way she

remembers beneficial induction procedures as one setting up your classroom “The induction

program gave teachers two weeks to be able to get their classroom set up. This was very

beneficial because it gave enough time to establish different items around the classroom for

routines and procedures”. Two getting ready for and starting the first day- This is an area where

the induction program could improve. The reason being is that any advice and helpful tips that I

got for the first day of school came from different staff members at my school site. This included

restroom logs, expectations for when students walk in, numbering desks, and much more. Third

managing your class and students individually, to which she relied on it is an area of opportunity.

Because as a brand-new teacher, she realized this is crucial, “if you want your teachers to
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succeed and flourish within the classroom. There should be tips given to new teachers along with

partnering them up with tenured teachers who can provide advice, encouragement, and

expectations”.

The next two questions Mrs. Vargas mentioned that understanding the school culture,

mission, and vision was given individually at the school site in the beginning. At the (NTIP)

meeting they spoke overall about the Isaac School District and their mission on having all

students succeed. I felt this was appropriate since every school has a different vision but overall,

the goal remains the same. Mrs. Vargas also said that “Getting to know other faculty and staff

was also done at a school site level. There was a meeting with the entire staff where we were

able to introduce ourselves and get to know each other a little better. This was a great idea

because I was able to get to know the staff and understand how each staff member contributed to

our school. The last two additional questions I asked Mrs. Vargas were, since you been here at

Pueblo how has the school culture been? And What are common expectations for teachers here

at Pueblo? The fist she mentioned “well to be honest I feel like I’m so new and I don’t know

what is “normal” like since this is my first year this is how I feel like this is how it’s supposed to

be and especially with Covid I’m not really sure. But I feel like I can only view it from a

standpoint”.

Second, she replied with Common expectations is that our boss really likes us to be on

time… Even if some people or a few minutes late no matter what the reason is he won’t ask why

you are late he’ll just make it a point to let you know that you are late. Another expectation is

having lesson plans done. Every Monday morning at seven we must have them turned in.

Although I feel like they don’t even look at them because I’ve turned in the same one multiple

times and never was said anything. Something else I think that an expectation is we just kind of
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keep going. No matter if there’s like a smaller issue or even an issue at all. He’ll never ask about

it he kind of waits for you to come tell him about it at least in my cases and a friend’s case. He

never knows like what’s really going on. He just knows from like what he sees for five minutes

and bases his judgment off that.

PSEL Standards & Implementation for Future Practice

Both standard 6 and 7 are related to school culture and the stakeholders who surround the

setting. The sixth standard states that effective educational leaders build school personnel's

professional competence and practice to support each student's academic performance and well-

being. Form an educationally effective faculty by recruiting, hiring, supporting, developing, and

retaining effective and caring teachers and other professional staff. The new teacher induction

plan defiantly falls under this standard because as leaders we must create a healthy environment

for the teachers, this way the teachers can perform instruction to the best of their ability. Next it

is extremely important to Recruit and Develop professional knowledge, skills, and practice in

teachers and staff people through differentiated learning and growth opportunities driven by an

understanding of professional and adult learning and development. Standard seven states that as

leaders we must also establish and maintain a professional culture of engagement and

commitment to a shared vision, goals, and objectives pertaining to the whole child's education;

high expectations for professional work; ethical and equitable practice; trust and open

communication; collaboration, collective efficacy, and continuous individual and organizational

learning and improvement. In a new teacher induction plan we must ensure new teachers as a

priority of support from administrators, but also throughout the campus. This leads me to help

improve the school culture and bring the staff together to collaboration and open opportunities

out of work for teachers to have the closeness they need when having a bad day. This idea is
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stated in the PSEL seven letter (d) as “promote mutual accountability among teachers and other

professional staff for each student’s success and the effectiveness of the school (National Policy

Board for Educational Administration, 2015).

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References

National Policy Board for Educational Administration (2015). Professional Standards for
Educational Leaders. https://www.npbea.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Professional-
Standards-for-Educational-Leaders_2015.pdf