Preparing New Teachers for the Students That They Will Really Have in Their Classrooms

The mission of this chapter is to address new teachers' understanding of effective classroom management and instruction for classrooms that include students who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD). Because a growing number of classrooms have students who are CLD, it is critical that new teachers understand the integrated use of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) and high-leverage practices to address the social/emotional, behavioral, and academic needs of all students within the classroom. In this way, new teachers will be better prepared for such classrooms and more likely to be retained within their school and profession. Current data shows that the rate in which new teachers are entering the field is not enough to help solve the current teacher shortage crisis.

Teacher Preparation, Motivation, and Self-Efficacy: A Comparative Study of New Teachers in Japan and the United States

Using the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018, this study examines U.S. and Japanese new teachers’ initial teacher preparation (ITP), feelings of preparedness, motivations, and self-efficacy. The analysis of 355 U.S. and 433 Japanese new secondary teachers provided several findings. First, ITP in the U.S. more often included teaching in mixed-ability and multicultural settings, cross-curricular skills, and technology than Japan, and U.S. teachers felt more prepared than Japanese teachers in every category of preparation. Second, Japanese teachers were more likely to declare teaching as their first career choice and reportedly scored significantly higher on motivations to become a teacher of personal utility value, while U.S. new teachers scored higher on social utility value. Third, there were no significant differences in self-efficacy between U.S. and Japanese new teachers. This study contributes to the gap of large-scale, comparative literature between the U.S. and Japanese initial teacher preparation. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.

Helping new teachers stay and thrive in rural schools

Among the many challenges facing rural administrators, recruiting and retaining teachers is often at the top of the list. Given the time and energy they must invest to successfully attract, recruit, and hire a new teacher, there is a significant need to adopt strategies that will help to retain those new teachers. Rural administrators can support new teachers so that they stay — and thrive — in rural districts by connecting teachers with the community, supporting place-based practices in the classroom, and helping new teachers build relationships both in and out of school.

Will They Stay or Will They Go? Leadership Behaviors That Increase Teacher Retention in Rural Schools

Hard-to-staff rural schools often struggle to attract and retain promising educators. Experts have consistently identified administrative support in rural schools to be of unique importance for recruitment and retention, yet a lack of clarity continues to surround the specific leadership behaviors that new teachers interpret as supportive. This qualitative study collected data from three focus groups; including superintendents, principals, and teachers in a program for aspiring administrators; and found that rural schools have to try much harder and in more active ways to retain new teachers because of the constraints existing within rural education. Rural school support for new teachers needs to be a collective responsibility to positively impact the retention of new teachers and the structural supports, affirmation, and encouragement offered by their organizations help to heighten the retention of new teachers. The study confirms that rural school leaders can leverage leadership behaviors to better retain talented teachers.

The Perception of Induction System on Headteachers and Assistance on Public Basic School in West Mamprusi Municipality in the Northeast Region of Ghana

The study was conducted to investigate the perception of induction system on public basic schools in the West Mamprusi Municipal in the Northeast Region. The objectives of the study were to find out some of the training and induction programs that are organized in basic schools in the study area, determine the causes of ineffective induction programs organized in basic schools in the study area and to ascertain the perception of induction programs on teaching and learning in basic schools in the study area. The researcher used descriptive survey design to collect quantitative data for the study. The targeted population was one hundred and twenty 120 head teachers and assistant head teachers of the public basic schools in the West Mamprusi Municipality. Based on the findings, some other induction programs organized in some of the schools include; training on the use of methodologies in teaching, training on guidance and mentoring new teachers, training on school and community relationship, health and safety training, training on GES code of ethics and training on lesson plan preparation. Based on the findings it can be concluded that induction programs supports and mitigates teacher attrition, increases career commitment, and contributes to retention through meeting teachers' personal and professional needs which also include improvement in professional growth and development, effective integration of new employees to the organization and providing new teachers with training tools and Other needs. Also working conditions play a significant role in teacher career satisfaction and commitment as the findings depicted.

Learning to Surrender: Creative teaching and learning practices

Independence and critical thinking are crucial for survival in our contemporary world. Learners and new teachers in training should be trusted to discover and develop their own voice in teaching and learning and be encouraged to surrender expectation to produce predetermined outcomes by strictly following scripted curriculum because it is detrimental to learners and teachers alike as it does not foster independence and critical thinking. Through engaging in creative teaching and learning practices that encourage imagination, questioning, observation and reflection we can see beyond what is perceived as normal and understandable and seek new ways to interpret reality and experience things of everyday life as well as learn to listen to our students and support them in their own discovery.

The editor’s note: A better start for teachers

Long-standing teacher shortages have only gotten worse during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Rafael Heller. As more teachers leave the profession, the teacher workforce is getting younger and greener. To stop the churn, school systems need to address the specific needs of their new teachers. Some are also beginning to pursue grow-your-own strategies that encourage current students, paraeducators, and other staff who are already invested in the community to become teachers.

Preparedness and Experiences of Novice Teachers in the Sociopolitical Context of Heightened Immigration Enforcement: Evidence From a Survey of California Teachers

For teachers of immigrant-origin students and their peers, emerging research notes the challenge of facilitating a high-quality education for students subject to traumatic events related to harsh immigration enforcement policies. This study examines whether new teachers from seven teacher preparation programs experienced the impacts of immigration enforcement and felt prepared to support students who were impacted. I surveyed new teachers in preservice and after 1 year of teaching ( N = 473) using survey instruments developed by Cohen and colleagues along with additional constructs developed via pilot testing. New teachers reported that immigration enforcement negatively impacted their students and their job satisfaction. Teachers exposed to discussion of immigration policy and teachers who reported engaging with immigrant families in preservice were more likely to view themselves as prepared to support students. I discuss differences for teachers in urban, Title I, and elementary settings.