By Kathleen Harrell, MAEd, Kathy Fields, M.Ed. and Martinette Horner, M.S.A., Ed.D.
Today, both nationally and in North Carolina, one quarter of teachers have less than five years’ experience. The North Carolina New Teacher Support Program (NC NTSP) is a comprehensive, university-based induction program that provides each teacher: (1) intensive institute; (2) intensive, individualized classroom coaching; & (3) aligned professional development sessions. The goal of the NC NTSP is to improve student achievement by improving beginning teacher effectiveness and teacher retention.
UNC by the Numbers:
- 248 Beginning Teachers
- 9 Instructional Coaches
- 6 Counties: Chatham, Franklin, Orange, Person, Vance, Warren + local NC Teaching Fellows
- 1 Regional Director
“Each day that I spend in the classroom with teachers is a day that I am able to witness them grow in their practice. My work as a coach allows me to champion educators as they work to provide learning experiences and opportunities for their students during particularly challenging times. From a practical standpoint, that may look like a listening ear, coaching conversations, observations, modeling, planning support, or providing resources. I may not have all the answers, but I am fiercely in their corner.”
Kathy Fields, Lead Coach, NC NTSP, UNC Chapel Hill
“Orange County Schools (OCS) is dedicated to recruiting and retaining a high-quality and diverse workforce. Supporting our newest employees to the profession is crucial in making sure they have the needed skills to be successful. The NC NTSP has done an excellent job bridging the gap between student teaching and a teacher’s first year of teaching. The individualized coaching sessions provide weekly support that our mentors don’t always have the time to provide. As a direct result of this program, OCS is retaining over 90% of its first-year teachers. In addition, the overall retention rate of employees participating in the program has drastically improved at the 3-year mark as OCS is retaining approximately 80% of its beginning teacher population.”
Connie Brimmer, Orange County School
“As a beginning teacher, it has been incredibly helpful to have a teaching coach collaborate with me in thoughtful ways to improve my skills as a teacher. I began my teaching career during a year of remote learning, so it was often hard to get a read on the strategies that did and did not work in my classroom. In light of this, my teaching coach always offered me a helpful perspective that I was able to implement in my next class period.”
Xavier Adams, 2022 North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching Prudential N.C. Beginning Teacher of the Year Award
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