Balancing the Tension Between Accountability and Teacher Inquiry in Induction Policy

• In Event: Exploration and Survey of Teacher Induction Programs and Accountability

Abstract

This paper documents the results of a four year mixed-methods study of a teacher induction consortium. The study found that, while the consortium’s program was generally effective, new teachers were critical of the state-mandated formative assessment system’s documentation requirements. The paper argues that the policy instruments used in California induction are internally contradictory, with accountability requirements that ultimately sabotage the teacher inquiry that is a central component of the system. This paper examines how induction policy defines the problem of teacher retention through its instruments, the implications of these definitions for new teachers, and how the consortium responded to these concerns.

Authors

• Marie-France Orillion, University of California - Riverside

• Barbara Howard, Riverside County Office of Education

• Linda D. Scott Hendrick, University of California - Riverside