Onboarding New Teachers: What they Need to Succeed. HISD Staffing Training and Support Spring 2012

Transcription

1 Onboarding New Teachers: What they Need to Succeed HISD Staffing Training and Support Spring 2012

2 Objectives Identify and discuss why onboarding/induction is an integral part of teacher retention Identify what quality onboarding/induction looks like during the first weeks and months of school Become familiar with effective cultivation strategies and ensure your new hires will begin teaching Develop an onboarding/induction plan for new hires 2

3 Agenda Introduction to onboarding Cultivating teachers before school starts School-site orientation Supporting teachers during the first months of school 3

4 What is onboarding? Cultivation before school starts Orientation during the first days of school Support during the first months of school Excellent onboarding programs: Have clear goals Have clear leadership and are grounded in the school culture Are differentiated Provide quality, ongoing training on effective strategies Possible impact: Retention of EXCELLENT teachers Higher student achievement Increased teacher effectiveness; stronger classroom management Higher job satisfaction; lower levels of stress 4

5 Bottom line, effective onboarding programs impact retention rates What does it cost your students, you and your school to replace a teacher once the school year has started? $10,000 It costs districts on average over $10,000 to replace or refill each teacher vacancy once the school year has started. 93% A study found that when administrators offer high-quality onboarding programs along with district onboarding, the retention rate of new teachers was over 93% Additional Losses Time students lose with a full-time dedicated teacher Time to find a replacement Drain on other faculty and staff 5

6 When creating your onboarding plan there are many things to consider Cultivation before school starts What information will be relevant to my new teachers at this time? What staff members can help me with this process? Orientation during the first days of school What information will be relevant to my new teachers at this time? How will I set my expectations? What resources will teachers need to be the most effective on the first day? Support during the first months of school What information will be relevant to my new teachers at this time? What will my observation and feedback schedule look like? 6

7 Agenda Introduction to onboarding Cultivating teachers before school starts School-site orientation Supporting teachers during the first months of school 7

8 The first part of onboarding is cultivation - high-quality, meaningful, targeted contact with teachers ensures they will begin teaching Purpose Cultivation helps ensure that candidates begin teaching despite competition from other school districts or challenges Allows new teachers to start the year feeling informed and supported Encourages new and current staff members to return informed and prepared for the first few weeks of school Who Do You Target? New hires to your school Transfer teachers new to your school Returning staff members When? Begins when you recruit a teacher Ends when teacher starts at your school Why? It allows you to predict and plan for any potential vacancies and last minute withdrawals. It is often the highest quality candidates (those who have other offers) who need this type of encouragement to remain in the process. Most high-need subject area candidates will continue to receive competing offers. 8

9 There are four common red flags that may indicate that a new hire may have a lack of commitment New Hire or returning teacher does not reply to your s or phone calls Teacher delays or does not have a clear plan for their move to the area. Be aware of signs of apprehension. Teacher does not attend the district s onboarding or new teacher training Teacher does not complete the district s pre-employment processing (certification, fingerprinting, contract signing, etc) 9

10 Teachers have told us they want to have information about their school and school processes before school starts Logistics Instructional Support Administrator Expectations Schedule of the week prior and the first week of school, including typical day structure and any special training sessions; when they can come in to set up their classrooms Where to park, pick up mail, location of bathrooms and lunchroom Important staff members nurse, guidance counselor, AP, department chairs, mentors List of professional development opportunities summer workshops, which ones they have to go to the first week of school, schedule for the year Visit and set up classroom schedule a time as early as possible A scheduled time to visit a veteran teacher s classroom List of assigned students with parent and contact information, as well as IEP s if special ed Curriculum/standards for their position and where to access additional information What is the school s student achievement goals? What are the other school-wide goals? What will teachers need to hand in throughout the year? What regular meetings will teachers need to attend? 10

11 Think about what strategies you have used to cultivate teachers before the start of school Activity What are the strategies you have used to cultivate your teachers? 11

12 The easiest support strategy to implement: communication via phone or What makes this a useful tactic? Things to keep in mind Personalizes the hiring process and makes candidates more committed to your school Quick, easy and can be delegated if you have a high number of hires or potential candidates you want to stay in contact with Creates a dialogue for questions and concerns As the principal, you should make the first call to your new hire Have a clear goal or message for each communication Telephone calls are meant to be short, inspiring, and informative s should be concise and require a response to maintain and create an open line of communication 12

13 Phone Calls: Invest current teachers in helping to make follow-up calls to new teachers Hi, my name is Christine and I am calling from Roosevelt Middle School. I currently teach 8 th grade. I d like to welcome you to our staff and see if I can answer any questions. Identify 2-3 teachers/staff in your school who can help you complete phone calls to new hires List three things you would like to share about your school during the phone call Tip: Give the teacher making the call a synopsis of the candidate s background and the strengths you saw in the interview so they can personalize the call. 13

14 s: Use activity based messages Hello. Welcome to Washington High School s staff! In order to prepare for the beginning of the school year, I d like to invite you to attend a school orientation session in August. Also, please write a 4 sentence introduction of yourself that I may share with your colleagues prior to our first staff meeting. I d appreciate if it you could return this to me by July 24. Please identify 3 active response questions/activities to send to your new hires

15 Phone calls and s: When do you make them? New Hires Contact at least once a month after hire Calls should last approximately minutes First call should come from the principal Resulting contact can come from a colleague or member of the leadership team Two weeks before school starts another call/ should go out to answer any 1 st day questions Be sure to gather all the up to date contact information for a new hire when a commitment is made. Current Teachers Two calls or s over the summer, based on where they fall on your concern list End of school to gauge interest in participating in cultivation of new hires Two weeks before school starts to answer any 1 st day questions Be sure to end the school year with the most up to date contact information. Indicate the purpose of gathering this information, setting the expectation that they will hear from the principal. 15

16 Onboarding Plan: Outline 4 Cultivation Strategies for your New Hires Activity/ Strategy When should it be complete? Who will complete? Purpose Cultivation Ex: Principal Phone Call May 15 Sam Moore, Principal Ex: Team Ex: Summer May 15 (and as new hires arise) May 20 (and as new hires arise) Team Lead or Department Head Sam Moore, Principal Ex: Summer check-in call July 15 Assistant Principal or member of Leadership Team Welcome phone call, outline that other staff members will be calling/ ing over the summer Welcome to the team, guidance on curriculum & school-specific approaches Facility hours, emergency contact, accessing rooms, professional development. Check-in on processing, curriculum, and professional development Ex: Welcome back letter July 20 Leadership Team Welcome letter with goals for the year and schedule for first month 16

17 Agenda Introduction to onboarding Cultivating teachers before school starts School-site orientation Supporting teachers during the first months of school 17

18 During the orientation phase we want to capitalize on teachers anticipation and prepare them for the survival period 18

19 Research shows that a principal s influence on new teachers is profound. The most frequently cited reason for new teachers difficulties in the classroom and/or the reason they leave the classroom is unclear principal expectations and lack of or poor quality administrator support New teachers look primarily to principals for guidance and direction on performance I wanted to be in a school with administrators who offered me support and guidance when it came to student behavior challenges. I never saw my principal. I loved my kids, I liked my work, but in the end, things were stalled at my school because no one was steering the ship. 19

20 School-site Orientation: Setting expectations What are your administrator expectations? (school vision, school-wide discipline policies, district-wide initiatives) Instructional Support (evaluations/observations; buddy/mentor system; collaboration)? 20

21 An example: Setting expectations with teachers Example Welcome to Jackson Elementary. I m incredibly excited about this upcoming school year and everything that we will accomplish together. Jackson Elementary is a school with a lot of challenges, but we have worked hard over the summer to bring in the strongest group of teachers possible to reach our goals of increasing student achievement. I wanted to preview a few things that you should know about working with me. Consistent discipline is very important to maintaining the culture of our school. I know that you are a new teacher and that you will learn many lessons about classroom management in these first few months, but I am going to be looking for consistent enforcement of our discipline policy. For example, I should never see a child in your classroom wearing a hat. Even though you're learning, too, it's important to me that you enforce these fundamental rules without relying on me to do it for you. I believe that the best way to help you become an excellent teacher is to see you teach and give you feedback. So you should expect that the leadership team and I will be in your classroom a lot this year. Often, we'll just pop in for a quick informal observation; you should expect that we will debrief with you after each visit, whether formal or informal. We hope that the informal drop-ins will serve as another feedback mechanism until you have your formal observation later in the fall. Characteristics of a good expectations-setting conversation 21

22 School-site Orientation: Setting expectations What are your administrator expectations? (school vision, school-wide discipline policies, district-wide initiatives) Instructional Support (evaluations/observations; buddy/mentor system; collaboration)? 22

23 School-site Orientation: What do teachers want to know? Logistics How and where to get cheap supplies; what supplies are already provided (markers, chart paper)? Copy machine policy; what is the allotment? Human Resources contact info and who to contact for what (benefits, payroll, etc.) How to use the substitute system teacher responsibility or principal? Field trip policy Instructional Support What is the process if there are classroom management problems? What is the process for documenting student behavior issues? At what point should a student be sent to the office? How often will I be observed and by whom? Administrator Expectations Do they receive a mentor - who is it? Know what resources are available at the school (e.g., special ed services), perhaps a special orientation to meet those people and hear what support services they provide to the students 23

24 Onboarding Plan: Outline School-site orientation Activities Activity/ Strategy When should it be complete? Who will complete? Purpose Orientation Ex: New Teacher Staff Meeting Ex: All School Staff Meeting August 4th August 5th Graham Douglas, Principal Graham Douglas, Principal Set expectations, assign mentors, give out first semester formal orientation schedule Staff introductions, recognitions from previous year, goals for current year 24

25 Agenda Introduction to onboarding Cultivating teachers before school starts Setting your expectations Supporting teachers during the first months of school 25

26 During the first week, teachers need you to be visible and supportive TIPS Pop in once students arrive first day to check on how things are going Share sincere encouragement about their teaching at least twice Identify mentors and what the support looks like Give new teachers a welcome gift Strategies Resources

27 During the first month of school, most new teachers say that they need help with day-to-day tasks TIPS Help teachers: Learn school routines and procedures Develop classroom management skills and deal with behavioral problems Understand how to diagnose/assess student performance Teach with limited resources Begin regular communication with parents Strategies Resources

28 During the second month of school, most new teachers say that they need more feedback on their instructional practices TIPS Schedule formal/informal observations; give immediate feedback (positive and constructive) so teachers can self-correct Set up opportunities for peer observations or model lessons at staff meetings Help teachers learn to identify big and small issues and prioritize which to correct Encourage self-reflection; build this into planning time or staff meetings Strategies Resources

29 Onboarding Plan: Outline 2-3 strategies for the first week, first month, and second month of school Activity/ Strategy When should it be complete? Who will complete? Purpose Support 1. Pop-in classrooms 2. Mentor introduction in classroom 3. Classroom neighbor introduction lunch 1. Attendance review 2. Workshop/meeting on setting up regular parental involvement 3. Individual discipline policy check-in 1 st week Principal, AP or Dept Head 1 st month Assistant Principal Peers Principal Ensure teacher feels connected to administration and instructional support, as well as making sure they have the materials they need Provides new hires with a review of the most relevant school policies and procedures as well as best practices 1. Structured observations and PD recommendations 2. Check-in on Mentor progress 3. Visit to successful peer 2 nd month Principal, AP, Dept Head, or Mentor Ensure teachers are being presented with strength and development areas early and given access to resources 29

30 X District Teacher Induction Program DATES CONTENT 30

31 Next Steps Gather group of school staff members to help with cultivation efforts. Begin planning or revising activities for school-site orientation with your onboarding/induction team. Gather resources for new teachers to include during orientation. 31

32 Thank you for coming! Please complete a survey before you leave. 32