Dive Brief:
- A Missouri school district is considering using a percentage of its annual funds allocated for professional development on a program that would offer first- and second-year teachers mentorship in the classroom, according to the St. Joseph News-Press.
- The district could potentially fund 40 mentors who will offer one and a half hours of support each month to new teachers, as well as facilitating a visit with the new teacher to an “exemplary classroom” so the new educator can get a firsthand view of successful practices.
- Missouri public schools must spend 1% of their foundation formula funding on professional development each fiscal year, according to the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993, and the St. Joseph School District has a $418,950 budget for professional development in the coming fiscal year.
Dive Insight:
There is data suggesting turnover rates among educators throughout the country could decrease with more consistent teacher induction programs, with one report finding that schools were better able to retain teachers after their first year if they were assigned a mentor. However, when faced with the likelihood of continued cuts to school budgets, professional development programs — including mentorship programs for new educators — often face the axe in lieu of cutting programs and services deemed more essential. In the past month alone, school districts in Salt Lake City and Delaware, among other locations, have considered slashing budgets for teacher mentorship in an attempt to cut education costs further.
On the national stage, the Trump administration has proposed doing away with Title II funding altogether, which in part helps to fund teacher and principal development. More than half of school districts use Title II funding for professional development. Programs funded via Title II have received criticism for their quality, but the move could be indicative of how the new administration views the need for teacher mentorship. Few believe Title II would be discontinued entirely, but a reduction in funding could lead to cutting back or eliminating certain teacher induction programs. Even during the Obama administration, Title II funding decreased from $3 billion to $2.3 billion annually.
There is a clear interest in teacher mentorship programs among nascent educators, according to a 2012 analysis by the educational professional organization Phi Betta Kappa. The number of first-year educators who said they participated in some kind of induction program tripled from 1991 to 2008, with 27 states requiring some form of induction for new teachers. The statistics make clear that many educators and states see the inherent value in teacher induction programs, but they may not be willing to make the further financial investment that would save such programs from the specter of budget cuts.