Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

Abstract

Indiana is experiencing a greening of its teaching profession. Over the past five years, the percentage of Indiana early-career teachers has increased, while the percentage of veteran teachers has decreased. During the 2015-2016 academic year, more than 30% of Indianas teachers had five or fewer years of teaching experience; whereas, less than one-fourth of Indianas teachers had 21 or more years of experience (Indiana Department of Education [IDOE], 2016). If Indianas teacher retention rate is similar to the reported national trends (Alliance for Educational Excellence [AEE], 2014) and the number of teacher candidates continues to decrease (Slabaugh, 2014), then the need for new teachers could be overwhelming for the next decade. The greening of Indianas teaching profession is occurring at a time when demands for increasing student achievement continue to intensify. The clarion call for increasing student achievement is reflected through governmental policies demanding greater accountability (Bush 2004; Every Student Succeeds Act [ESSA], 2015; Spellings, 2006; United States Department of Education [USDOE], 2002a; USDOE, 2010; USDOE, 2013). These mandates for greater accountability are occurring at a time when the profession is comprised of an enlarging proportion of inexperienced teachers (Carroll & Foster, 2010; IDOE, 2016; Ingersoll, 2012). The recently enacted ESSA (2015) continues the trend of demanding schools to provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality Education, and to close Educational achievement gaps” (Section 1001). According to many within the field of Education, the development of a teacher induction program prepares new teachers for the challenges of increasing student achievement while also decreasing teacher attrition rates (Ashdown, Hummel-Rossi, & Tobias, 2006; Basile, 2006; Fuller, 2003; Glazerman et al., 2010; Gold, 1996; Ingersoll & Strong, 2011; Olebe, 2001; Smith & Ingersoll, 2004). The professional literature offers numerous suggestions describing what should be included in an effective teacher induction program. Common themes within the professional literature on designing new teacher induction programs include (1) orienting beginning teachers to the culture, values, and procedures of the school or district, (2) supporting beginning teachers with mentors, (3) supporting beginning teachers with structured professional learning designed to establish patterns of effectively using relevant instructional techniques, and (4) monitoring the work of beginning teachers and providing them with feedback that assists them in becoming more effective teachers (AEE, 2014; Basile, 2006; Darling-Hammond, Wise, & Klein, 1999; Flores, 2006; Gold, 1996; Huling-Austin, 1990; Ingersoll & Strong, 2011; Moir, Gless, & Baron, 1999; New Teacher Center, 2011; Schlechty, 2005; Wood & Waarich-Fishman, 2006). This study followed a mixed-method, cross-sectional design utilizing a web-based survey. The study focused on: (1) determining which teacher induction practices identified by the professional literature as being effective are being implemented in Indiana, (2) identifying which Indiana teacher induction practices are perceived to be most effective, and (3) comparing among beginning teachers, principals, superintendents, and various school environments the perceived effectiveness of teacher induction practices being implemented in Indiana. An analysis of the professional literature identified four components of teacher induction program best practices that served as an outline for this study. The four components of teacher induction best practices included (a) providing orientation sessions before beginning teachers first days of teaching, (b) assigning trained mentors to assist beginning teachers, (c) designing and facilitating structured professional learning sessions for beginning teachers, and (d) assessing the job performance of beginning teachers. The study revealed teacher induction practices are implemented inconsistently throughout Indiana. Less than one-third of the study participants reported the districts or schools employing them implemented all four components of effective teacher induction programs identified after an analysis of the literature. For those districts implementing the identified components of teacher induction best practices, study participants perceived the teacher induction support to be effective. Significant perceived differences were not found based on teacher experience, between principals and teachers, among various school settings, or among levels of students served. However, the study revealed significant differences in perceived effectiveness of the overall teacher induction programs being implemented in Indiana between teachers and superintendents ( p < .001) and between principals and superintendents ( p = .003).

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