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Selling The Board
the Benefits of and Need for an Effective Induction Program
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© 2008, Barry Sweeny
The following was written to a person who had requested advice for
the content of a presentation to his school district's Board of Education.
His purpose was to explain the value of and need for a beginning teacher
mentoring program. He had expressed his own ideas about what to say,
which included the usual ideas about the needs of new teachers for
support and guidance, and the stress and discouragement that many
of them feel during their first few years in the profession. Here
are some additional suggestions I made to him.
"By the way, good luck with your presentation
to the Bd. of Ed. next week.
I agree that the Board should know and understand the plight
of beginning teachers. Most board members will have no way of
understanding what a challenge it is that new teachers face and
the effects of that struggle on a whole career of teaching and student
learning. Here are some of the conclusions we have reached from
research and our own experience that will help them see the dreadful
impact of having no support program and the potential for good
that a quality induction program can have.
In case you have not thought to do so, I recommend giving the Board
some additional items beyond what your email stated. These items
are offered in consideration of the make up and background of
many members of Boards of Education, and what they feel to be
their responsibilities as regular "citizens" and non educators.
They often perceive themselves as the guardians of the budget and
know that they are expected to keep the budget "within reason".
This means that they must be shown and must understand the non
educational reasons for an induction program. Here are my recommendations.
1. Two Estimates of Costs: Do not present
your program without giving the Board a clear picture of the potential
costs for the program. Describe what you believe to be a quality
program and what providing such a program will require in terms
of time and costs. That means you must do some considerable work
to develop credible figures that you will have to live with for
a long time (three years?). I suggest that you offer the board two
estimates of costs.
A. Cost of the program given the number of new teachers you project
will be involved in the program when it starts.
B. Cost of the program for another number, say twice as many.
Place this cost in a chart that allows comparison to the first
cost (A above). This is very important because it will illustrate
for the Board that costs do not double when services double. For
example, the costs for the whole group portions of any orientation
meetings (or other meetings) remain the same whether 10 or 50
attend. Of course this is not the case for food and materials,
etc. and there will be increased stipends to cover an increase
in the number of any break out session leaders needed. There is,
however, some economy of scale and the Board should understand
this or they may place unreasonable limits on the program.
2. Estimates of Return on Investment (ROI):
There are a number of ways to illustrate for the Board that there
are many hidden costs already in the current budget which are the
current costs of NOT providing support to new teachers. You want
them to realize that if an induction program costs more (it does)
but it can save the district money which was an existing and hidden
cost, the program will be perceived as more "cost effective"
and "worth it". Here are some things to consider that
can help you demonstrate this effect:
A. Teacher Retention -
- What number of new teachers are not retained in the system currently?
- What number of veteran teachers leave teaching or, at least,
lose their enthusiasm for their work and could benefit from a
new challenge and focus on a conversation about excellence in
teaching and student learning?
The power of mentoring and induction programs to improve the ability
of a district to attract the best new teachers and to dramatically
increase New Teacher retention is very well documented. Increased
attraction is critical because:
- It increases the quality of the pool of applicants
- It increases the number of applicants from which the district
can select
- It creates the high expectation that if you are selected for
a position in this district that you are an exceptional teacher.
That establishes the norm for expecting exceptional teaching.
- It establishes the norm (even before hiring) that this district
expects and supports collaborative action to improve teaching
and the quality of student achievement.
B. What is the cost to the district when a new teacher leaves
teaching or is not rehired?
- What is your district's costs for new teacher recruitment, especially
for recruiting the kind of diverse staff a great district wants?
- What is your district's costs for new teacher orientation and
training during the first year or two?
- What is your district's costs in student learning during the
year or two that a new teacher is learning to teach?
- What is your district's costs in student learning when a new
teacher leaves with what they have learned from trial and error,
and a different new teacher is hired without that hard won experience
and starts over at the beginning again.
- What is your district's costs for the loss of instructional
continuity when new teachers leave or are not rehired because
they are not as successful as required?
- What is your district's costs for administrator time spent orienting,
evaluating, coaching, developing, and supporting new teachers
who are not retained?
C. What is the cost, even when teachers stay in the district,
but when struggling novice teachers must focus more on their own
needs, than those of the kids, and their own day-to-day survival
because they have little support, assistance, and guidance toward
more effective instructional practice. The fact is, struggling,
unsupported teachers adopt coping strategies that often are less
effective instructional practices, and those practices will tend
to persist throughout a career. This tragic effect is well documented
and the cost in student learning is immeasurable
D. What is the cost to the district of veteran teachers
who need renewal and new ways to contribute to the needs of
their colleagues and the goals of the organization, but who have
no appropriate avenue for that?
E. What is the cost to the district when excellent, gifted
teachers seek to make a greater impact and find the only role
choice is to leave the classroom and become an administrator. Such
teachers need the opportunity to serve as instructional leaders
and service as a mentor is just what the doctor ordered. When such
options do not exist the resources and potential teacher leadership
that is lost is immeasurable.
3. Claims of Other Benefits: A. If mentoring
is defined to do so, and mentors are prepared so they can do so,
can increase the collaboration and professionalism of teachers and
positively impact the climate and working environment. What is
the value of such a work environment?
B. Mentoring and coaching model for students the importance of
being life-long learners. What is the value gained when the students
see that adults must keep learning?
C. Mentoring establishes the norm and expectation in the minds
of new teachers that career-long professional growth is an expected
part of the work of the educator. What is the value gained when
teachers work every day a getting better at teaching and promoting
student success?
D. Mentoring increases the opportunities for positive leadership
by teachers. What is the value gained when the Board can demonstrate
it's support for teacher empowerment in positive directions that
contribute to district agendas.
E. Mentoring is a perfect means of incorporating new staff into
the culture and traditions of the district. What is the value of
ensuring that new staff are brought into, adopt, and contribute
to the initiatives of the district (strategic plan, SIP goals, etc.)
Many of these "costs" are almost impossible to measure
or to describe, but I do recommend that you try to do as much as
you can to market the induction program in terms of "Return
on Investment" with all levels of specific and general benefits
included. Try to provide a list of valued benefits and results that
are reasonable to expect from a induction program.
4. Check the wording of the purposes or goals for
the induction program to be sure they are aligned with the benefits
concepts you are presenting. In other words, ensure that it is clear
in the program purposes:
- What the desired results of the program are
- What the program can contribute to the district
- What costs the program can save the district
- What quality of programming is needed to capture the expected
benefits
- What is likely to happen without the described induction program
- What, regarding each of those purposes, you expect to accomplish
in the first three years of the induction program.
(The next section explains why this last item is so critical to
getting approval for your program.)
5. Finally, propose a program evaluation process
over at least three years which will be perceived as rigorous and
which is designed to demonstrate the extent to which the program purposes
can be accomplished in those three years.
You goal is to be perceived as:
- Convinced of the efficacy of the induction program and the ability
of a quality program to deliver on valued purposes.
- Willing to be held accountable for demonstrating the effectiveness
of your induction program
- Expectant that business persons who must make a profit and parents
who must run efficient and effective home budgets will understand
the value of a proactive, cost-effective program that targets
improved teaching and learning.
Of course, agreeing to be held publicly accountable for being a good
steward of precious district resources and accomplishing valued purposes
is a frightening commitment. That is why the last item in #4 above
is so crucial. Be realistic.
Also, insist on a budget that gives your program and your mentors
the training, support, and recognition they deserve for the
challenging task we expect of them. DO NOT commit to accomplishing
valuable things for teachers and their students without the resources
and tools that will be needed to do the work well. You will not
gain that level of support later if you demonstrate in the earlier
years that your program can do a good job without adequate training,
support, and time. Remember that if you 'want mentoring in the worst
way', be careful that you just don't get it that way!"
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