Project Activities
Research question
- Were elementary school teachers who were provided a comprehensive induction program more likely to be retained in their district? In the teaching profession?
- Were there impacts on teacher practices?
- Were there impacts on student achievement?
Structured Abstract
Design
Two nationally known induction providers were included in the study–the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the New Teacher Center (NTC). During the 2005–06 school year, approximately 24 elementary schools within each of 17 districts were randomly assigned to receive either the program provided by ETS or NTC (based upon district preference) or the novice teacher supports normally offered by the district. In 7 districts, teachers in schools assigned to receive the comprehensive induction program continued to receive the ETS/NTC program for a second year during the 2006–07 school year. Approximately 1,000 beginning teachers participated in the study. Data collection included measures of teacher retention rates assessed annually, measurement of teacher practices, and student achievement in reading and math.
Key findings
- In their first year in the classroom, teachers assigned to receive comprehensive induction were more likely to receive a variety of supports compared to control teachers. In the second year, teachers assigned to receive a second year of comprehensive induction continued to receive more support than their counterparts in the control condition. In their second year, teachers assigned to receive one year of induction received less support than control teachers. In the third and fourth years of teaching, treatment and control teachers received similar levels of support.
- No differences were found between teachers in the comprehensive induction condition and control teachers on measured classroom practices or on teacher retention rates in the school, district, or profession.
- For teachers who received one year of comprehensive induction, there was no impact on student achievement. For teachers who received two years of comprehensive induction, there was no impact on student achievement in the first two years. In the third year, there was a positive and statistically significant impact on student achievement for a subset of teachers.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
The final report, titled Impacts of Comprehensive Teacher Induction: Final Results from a Randomized Controlled Study, was released in June 2010.
Other publications from this study are listed below.
Reports
- Impacts of Comprehensive Teacher Induction: Results from the Second Year of a Randomized Controlled Study (August 2009)
- Impacts of Comprehensive Teacher Induction: Results from the First Year of a Randomized Controlled Study (October 2008)
A restricted-use file containing de-identified data is available for the purposes of replicating study findings and secondary analysis.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
