Retaining Effective Teachers Policy
Ohio requires that all new teachers receive mentoring. Starting in 2011, all new teachers are required to participate in a four-year Resident Educator program, which includes support and mentoring for new teachers. Mentors, who are required to have five years of teaching experience and complete a district application process, are selected by the district or school and must successfully complete state-sponsored mentor training. According to the Resident Educator program requirements, mentors and new teachers are required to collaborate one hour per week.
Set more specific parameters.
To ensure that all teachers receive high-quality mentoring, Ohio 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 the state should mandate a method for performance evaluation.
Ohio was helpful in providing NCTQ with facts that enhanced this analysis.