Why Induction Matters

Retention of a competent teaching force is a growing concern among the nation’s educators and policy makers. Providing new teachers with quality induction programs may mitigate significant teacher attrition and teacher staffing issues now facing many school districts in the United States. This article reports positive results in the long-term retention of novice teachers who participated in an induction partnership jointly administered by the University of Colorado and six school districts. The study tracks 10 cohorts of inductees into their 5th year of teaching and researches components of the program that impact retention. The article also describes program characteristics— initially developed from prior research and refined by data from ongoing program evaluations— that have proven effective in raising teacher competence and retention rates. Finally, the author suggests how this induction research might inform the decisions of local and national policy makers.