Call to expand teacher mentor program

By Jennifer Leete

Federation is calling for the expansion of the Teacher Mentor Program.

Following representations from the Federation (and other groups) the 2002 State Budget included provision for the creation of 50 teacher mentor positions to support the induction of beginning teachers in some of the schools which have a high concentration of beginning teachers.

It is well known that the Department of Education and Training has difficulty in retaining beginning teachers. A significant proportion of teachers leave the service within three to five years of their first appointment. The Teacher Mentor Program was designed to address this.

The program has been funded for the school years 2003 and 2004 but no commitment has been made by the Government to continue the program beyond the end of 2004.

The program involves 50 teacher mentors working in 51 schools, additional to current staffing establishment, in some of the schools which have a high proportion of beginning teachers. The schools involved are some of the most difficult to staff schools in NSW and have a high turnover of staff. The teacher mentor program aims to support the induction of beginning teachers, to ensure they have a positive start to their careers and that they choose to remain in teaching.

The program has been highly successful. The Department of Education and Training's Strategic Research Directorate, in conjunction with an independent academic, Professor Christine Deer, has completed an evaluation of the program which demonstrates its success. Dr Kay Martinez, of James Cook University in Queensland and respected expert on mentoring, has worked closely with the teacher mentors and in her international work frequently cites the NSW Teacher Mentor Program as a model worthy of emulation by other schooling authorities and systems.

Federation's state budget submission includes the following:

"The teacher mentor program should be continued and expanded. The DET employed 2443 new teachers in 2003, most of whom were beginning teachers. The current demographics of the teaching service suggest that this rate of employment of new teachers will increase in the future. Providing positive induction programs to retain beginning teachers will need to be a big priority. As the first step the Federation proposes:

"1. That teacher mentor positions be established as permanent positions in appropriate schools, with the schools to be reviewed each two years, to respond to employment trends.

2.That the total number of Teacher Mentor positions be expanded to 300."

Members are encouraged to lobby government MPs to achieve an expansion of the program consistent with the above submission.

Those 51 schools which have benefited through the appointment of a teacher mentor, in particular, are encouraged to send an appropriate communication to their local MP.

Jennifer Leete is the Deputy President.

For further information

March 2004 contents