The United States is experiencing a teacher shortage, and this shortage is expected to increase in the near future due to building enrollments and a wave of teacher retirements.  Teaching has long been a career in which those new to the profession are often left to their own devices in a "sink or swim" approach to induction (DePaul, 2000).  Historically, teaching has been a highly segmented type of work in which teachers have performed their responsibilities much as did the independent practitioners of the single room country school era (Glickman, 2001). The need to attract and retain high quality teachers has become a major policy issue for many school districts.  Nationally, nearly half of all beginning teachers leave the profession by their fifth year of employment, and the majority of these teachers exit in the first years of their tenure (Krantrowitz & Wingert, 2000).  A recent study found that more than half of all new teachers in Los Angeles left the profession within three years, and the costs to the district for replacing these teachers was $15 million a year.  Only the strongest and most determined novice teachers survive these first few years.  Often times, new teachers are disproportionately assigned to difficult schools, classes, subjects, or responsibilities, and these teachers face exceptionally difficult circumstances.  They often feel like failures in such assignments and leave the profession disillusioned.  A major reason that so many beginning teachers leave teaching is a lack of systematic support to induct new teachers into a complex and demanding job (Croasmum, Hampton, & Hermann, 2000).

The Cost of Turnover

The cost of high attrition in teaching is directly seen in lower levels of student achievement, the allocation of resources to recruitment and training rather than to instruction, increased behavioral concerns associated with a lack of continuity, and unstable educational programs (Croasmum et al., 2000; State of South Dakota, 2000).  A high level of attrition contributes to the perception of teaching as short-term employment.  Of particular concern to school improvement leaders is the lack of continuity in carrying out a school improvement plan (SIP).  The development and implementation of an SIP within a North Central Association accredited school requires the engagement of all teachers and extends for a cycle of five years.  Continuity within the staff is closely related to increased levels of student growth.  In addition, teachers who have remained in the profession after experiencing harsh difficulties as new teachers can continue to present a negative influence toward efforts of school change and improvement (Scherer, 1999).  Such teachers are not very focused upon the development and implementation of a school improvement plan.

Mentorships

Mentorships have been developed in schools throughout the nation in an attempt to stem the departure of first-year teachers.  The Research and Development Center for Teacher Education at the University of Texas at Austin has identified the assignment of on-site support teachers to work with first-year teachers as the most powerful and cost-effective intervention to assist new teachers in their work (Croasmum et al., 2000).  Sallie Mae, a corporation that provides funding for educational loans, annually recognizes one outstanding first-year teacher from each state.  In 1997, the US Department of Education brought the winners of this award to Washington for a discussion on issues related to first-year teachers.  One of the findings identified in these discussions was the degree of isolation usually felt by first-year teachers and the difference that a mentor can make to success.  A conclusion reached in these discussions was that "well administered mentor programs that foster regular meetings between new teachers and their senior colleagues are lifesavers for first-year teachers (DePaul, 2000, p. 16).  These teachers described programs in which they were paired up with a senior teacher as well as group meetings that were held periodically with new teachers to discuss common issues and to practice skills (DePaul, 2001).

The Professional Development Center at the University of South Dakota illustrates one example for structuring a mentor program. In the Professional Development Center, new teachers are assigned to school districts to work as paid interns over the course of a year.  During this time, the interns work under the direct supervision of MASTER Teachers, receive regular supervision from a university professor, and earn a master's degree.  As fully certified teachers, the interns perform all the varied functions and responsibilities of regular classroom teachers.  They have the advantage of a mentoring relationship with seasoned professionals who have a strong commitment to teacher education and development.  These new teachers, therefore, receive support during their first year of teaching and are assisted in their integration into the profession.

A Virtual Mentorship

Sometimes a mentorship at the individual school level is difficult to initiate.  Senior teachers have full agendas, and sometimes there is only a single first-year teacher in a school.  The days are full, and often new teachers are so consumed with the demands of teaching and preparing that they have little time for reflection, sharing, and exploring issues with colleagues at school.  By the time they feel that they can leave their work, their colleagues have departed from the school.  Some new teachers feel that discussion about their struggles casts them in a negative light and creates an impression of weakness.  New teachers often feel that a frank discussion about teaching and learning in their classroom with the principal will lead to an evaluative visit, clipboard in hand.

Technology has led to increased opportunities for mentorships at all levels.  Such mentorships can take the form of supportive discussion with peers or role models.  Some high schools have begun "telementoring" relationships between students and adult role models in desired occupations (Duff, 2000).

The MASTER Teacher organization, long a leader in staff-development for teachers, has begun a partnership with the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in the development of an on-line Teacher Training Academy (TTA).  This form of mentorship is designed so that a skilled facilitator works with a small group of teachers in a virtual community.  The instruction is computer-mediated, using asynchronous interaction and a common set of materials.  In most cases, individual teachers are enrolled and placed in a group.  School districts also work through the TTA to provide mentoring and staff development through on-line instruction.

For the Fall-Winter of 2000, the following courses were offered through the TTA:  Getting Off to a Great Start, Guaranteeing Your Effectiveness from the First Day, Instructional and Motivational Techniques that Enhance Learning, Keeping Students on Task, Deepening Your Understanding of the Teaching/Learning Process, and Functioning as a Student-Centered Teacher.  Each of these courses lasted about six weeks and included a set of required readings, optional readings, and interaction both with the facilitator and among members of a small assigned group.  Interaction was accomplished through discussion bulletin boards and e-mail (The MASTER Teacher, 2000).  The format of the MASTER Teacher approach was presented at the NCA Annual Meeting in Chicago in April of 2000.

A Review of the MASTER Teacher On-Line Teacher Training Academy

The South Dakota NCA state office contacted two novice teachers who were participating in a University of South Dakota and local school district professional development center.  The modest fee for participation in the TTA course, Keeping Students on Task, was paid for the teachers by the NCA.  Each teacher was asked to participate in the course and to keep a diary of reactions to on-line mentoring and skill development.  At the conclusion of the course, the two teachers responded during an on-site interview to a series of questions regarding their observations of the experience and offered their recommendations for further development of electronic mentoring and staff development.

The teachers reported that the course centered on shared reading of material that was developed for the topic and then downloaded by the students from the Internet site.  Students were expected to read and reflect upon the material and then respond to discussion questions posed by the course facilitator.  Each student was expected to make a general posting to a discussion bulletin board and then to interact with other students within a virtual class.  The class began with an introduction of the participants and concluded with a personal summary by the facilitator to each student regarding the thread of his or her posted responses during the course.

It was evident in the responses of these teachers that the more they became active in the course, the more they felt that it was useful to them.  Although the class interaction of both of these participants was slow to develop, they mentioned times in which they were engaged and very interested in the ideas coming from others in the class.  Both teachers also said that they thought this type of experience could be one way to help offset the isolation that many new teachers feel.  At the conclusion of the class, both felt that they better understood how the course worked and said that they would feel more confident in doing a similar course in the future.

While not equivalent to actual personal engagement with supervisors or other teachers, telementoring does hold great promise for new teachers.  Positive features of this TTA experience included the following:  the timeliness and interest of the topics and material offered for reflection, the wide variety of other participants from around the country, the good contributions offered from colleagues engaged in similar teaching situations which could quickly be put into practice, and the opportunity to take the course at a time of the participant's choosing.

Suggestions offered by the teachers for improvement in the delivery of on-line mentoring or staff development centered upon interaction between the facilitator and among the other students.  The feeling of belonging to the class must develop so that the participants feel a part of something larger than just themselves and a computer.  Strategies for drawing people into telementoring in a personal as well as professional way are important.  While some students within the class did exchange ideas and engage in responses, the two students in this case had very limited interaction.  Both felt as though their posted responses did not add much to the discussion, and they felt little need to contribute.  So, in essence, their experience within the course was passive.  They felt that this medium of instruction needs to include techniques that ensure that students keep up with the schedule of reading and posting and that a higher level of interaction between the facilitator and all students be expected and managed. 

Future Directions for On-Line Mentoring and Staff Development

Educational telementoring is a relatively new tool in the area of teacher development.  Because of time, distance, and the varied needs of teachers, high quality support for new teachers is difficult to manage.  The use of telementoring offers great promise.  Motivational ideas, resource gathering, pedagogical information, and emotional support may be delivered in this manner.  An on-line mentoring process must be able to draw the participants into the group so that they might develop the personal and professional connections needed.

It is very clear that the role of the telementoring facilitator is of primary importance.  Strong leadership appears to be essential to the success of the experience.  The ability to promote the fundamental element of "belonging" cannot be overstated.  The frequency and quality of the interactions are the keys to developing this feeling, and this is true whether the feedback is from the facilitator or from others in the group.  Students must respond to others within the group, and they must receive affirmation and feedback from the facilitator.  The nature of on-line discussions must be of substance.  The facilitator must closely monitor and participate in the discussions by promoting reflection and asking higher order questions.  Chat rooms, individual e-mail messages, and bulletin boards are all tools that should be employed to create an interactive environment for the participants.  It is the facilitator who creates the conditions under which telementoring succeeds or fails.

Telementoring seems a promising practice to help new teachers succeed.  In large districts with a substantial number of new teachers, this approach would work most effectively in combination with personal discussion among the participants at a common site.  A similar process may work in groupings of schools, especially those linked in a regional cooperative center.  For small isolated schools, this may be the most effective way to link new teachers with colleagues from around the country who are experiencing similar personal and professional needs.

It is clear that new teachers emerging from college have the technical skills to engage in telementoring.  A continuing relationship between recent graduates entering into their initial year of teaching and the professors they left behind is another promising direction.  Colleges and universities might well develop a telementoring support group for their graduates so that discussion about teaching and adjustment to the work place could continue throughout the first year of practice. 

Telementoring has the potential to markedly change the experience of first-year teachers.  It also offers great potential for individualizing staff development for all teachers.

References

Croasmum, J., Hampton, D., & Hermann, S., Teacher attrition:  Is time running out?  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (on-line).  Accessed:  November 2000. Available: http://www.horizon.unc.edu/projects/issues/papers/hampton.asp/

DePaul, A.  Survival guide for new teachers.  US Department of Education.  Office of Research and Improvement [on-line].  Accessed:  November 2000. Available:  http://ed.gov/pubs/survivalguide/

DePaul, A.]  What to expect your first year of teaching.  U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement [on-line].  Accessed:  February 2001. Available:  http://www.ed.gov/pubs/firstyear/title.html/

Duff. C. (2000).  On-line mentoring.  Educational Leadership, 58(2), 49-52.

Glickman, C., Gordon, S., & Ross-Gordon, J. (2001).  Supervision and instructional leadership.  Needham Heights, MA:  Allyn & Bacon.

Krantrowitz, B., & Wingert, P. (2000, October 2).  Teachers wanted.  Newsweek, 37-42.

The MASTER Teacher (2000).  Provide teacher mentoring at its best . . .on-line.  [on-line]. Accessed:  September 2000.  Available:  http://www.leadershiphelp.com/

State of South Dakota (2000, September)[see above].  Administrative memorandum.  Department of Education and Cultural Affairs, 16.