Forming Catholic educators: the challenge of new teacher induction and mentoring in Catholic schools

Abstract

Teacher retention is an ongoing problem in education, especially in small private schools where resources are limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate educator perceptions of a new teacher induction and mentoring program to support first-year teachers and improve teacher effectiveness and the retention of new teachers. Cycle 1 participants included Catholic school teachers and administrators. These individuals provided insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the current programs at their schools, as well as ideas for improvement. Action steps were designed, implemented, and evaluated in Cycle 2 to provide supports for new teachers in the 2021-22 academic year and to plan for future new teacher activities. New teachers were provided a web-resource to support their professional growth. They were also offered monthly meetings to engage in professional development and conversation. Additionally, a task force of teachers and administrators was created to develop a comprehensive new teacher induction and mentoring program proposal for the 2022-23 academic year. Evaluating the results of the Action Research study included exit tickets after each monthly meeting, a mid-year survey to first-year teachers, a focus group of first-year teachers, and a focus group of principals. The study concluded that community building is a key factor to any new program; the program needs to be robust and to have a clear structure and appropriate resources; also, buy-in will be critical for new teachers, veteran teachers, and school administrators to participate. Implications for the Archdiocese of Central Texas included a need to implement a robust new teacher induction and mentoring program in 2022-23 that has appropriate resources allocated for its success and a need to provide a clear structure and rationale to get buy in from participants. The study also has implications for all Catholic educators who might consider replicating this study at a larger state or national level to determine how resource sharing and professional development could be provided to support other (arch)dioceses.--Author's abstract