Retaining Effective Teachers Policy
New Mexico requires that all of its new teachers receive mentoring. The state mandates that all new teachers participate in its mentoring program throughout their first year of employment and that mentors are required to receive additional training. A regulator review and evaluation process to assess the program's effectiveness is also mandatory. All other logistics are left to the local districts.
Set more specific parameters.
To ensure that all teachers receive high-quality mentoring, New Mexico should set a timeline in which mentors are assigned to all new teachers throughout the state, soon after the commencing of teaching, to offer support during those first critical weeks of school. Mentors should be required to be trained in a content area or grade level similar to that of the new teacher, and to attract the most qualified participants to the mentor program, guaranteed compensation is also a wise inclusion.
Require induction strategies that can be successfully implemented, even in poorly managed schools.
To ensure that the experience is meaningful, New Mexico should guarantee that induction includes strategies such as intensive mentoring, seminars appropriate to grade level or subject area and a reduced teaching load and/or frequent release time to observe other teachers.
New Mexico recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.