Exploring the Role of In-House Mentoring in the Study of Comprehensive Teacher Induction Programs

• In Event: 63.047 - District-Wide Studies of Teacher Development in Educational Reform

Abstract

A large-scale randomized study of two prominent comprehensive teacher induction (CTI) programs reported that the experimental programs were no more effective than a “business-as-usual” setting in improving new teachers’ classroom practices. However the control teachers were more likely to receive mentoring from teachers in the same schools than the experimental teachers. This study explores the role of the in-house mentoring in the CTI study. We look into the nature and quality of the in-house mentoring and examine its effects on new teachers’ classroom management under each treatment condition and then by subgroups of teachers. In addition, we investigate in-house mentoring as a mediator of the program effects. Our findings have important implications for design and implementation of future teacher induction programs.

Authors

• Yihua Hong, RTI International

• Guanglei Hong, University of Chicago