Retaining Effective Teachers Policy
New Jersey requires that all of its new teachers receive mentoring. The state mandates that all new teachers participate in a mentoring program over a period of 30 weeks, or 34 weeks for alternate route teachers. New teachers must be assigned a mentor at the beginning of their contracted teaching assignments and alternate route teachers are required to participate in a 20-day mentoring experience at the beginning of these assignments. To be selected by local district administration, mentors must possess at least three years of teaching experience, be certified in a subject matter similar to that of the new teacher and complete comprehensive training courses. Observation of the new teacher in the classroom as well as release time are both recommended. There are evaluations to assess the effectiveness of the program. It is up to each district to determine compensation based on available funds.
New Jersey was helpful in providing NCTQ with facts that enhanced this analysis.