Evaluation and Data
Between 2004 and 2008, 300,000 veteran teachers left the workforce for retirement. Baby Boom teachers who made lifelong commitments to education are retiring, and in many cases are taking their hard-earned wisdom with them. Together, these trends have resulted in a precipitous drop in experience in the classroom. In 1987-88 the typical teacher had 15 years of experience, but by 2007-08 the typical teacher had just 1 to 2 years of experience.
National Trends in Teacher Age
NCTAF/GSU Induction Project (August 2008).
NCTAF and Georgia State University (GSU) developed a model for induction of new teachers in urban high need schools. Funded by the Wachovia Foundation and implemented in high needs schools in metropolitan Atlanta, the goals are to support new teachers with technological aids, opportunities for professional development, and a supportive community that enhances teaching ability and careers. The expected outcomes of this support for teachers are a higher retention rate for teachers and increased student achievement.
TLINC® – Evaluation Report (2005).
In 2003 the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future convened a design team to launch the Teachers Learning in Networked Communities (TLINC®) project. The initial one-year phase, funded by AT&T, involved a TLINC design team partnered with four communities, Pueblo, CO; Seattle, WA; Portland, ME; and Socorro, TX. The intent of that phase was to investigate how districts might incorporate networked learning communities into their school systems to improve professional practices, especially those related to new teacher induction.
