The New Teacher Center (NTC) serves as the nation’s premier resource for policymakers and education leaders interested in new educator induction and mentoring. NTC Policy has worked with education leaders and policymakers in more than 20 states—including California, Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon where we’ve actively shaped state policies, regulations, standards and induction program infrastructure. NTC Policy also has informed congressional legislation (including the Teacher and Principal Improvement Act and the STEM Master Teacher Corps Act), federal program regulations (including the Race to the Top Program), and blueprints for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
The presence of supportive public policies increases the provision of induction support to beginning educators as well as the quality and the impact of that assistance on new teacher practice, teacher retention and student learning. Despite recent enhancements in state-level induction and mentoring policies, the NTC’s 2011 Summary of State Policies on Teacher Induction finds that only three states (Connecticut, Delaware and Iowa) currently require and provide dedicated funding for induction programs for first- and second-year teachers.
To inform and support robust policies focused on supporting beginning educators and related issues (such as teaching and learning conditions, evaluation, certification and licensure, and principal development), NTC Policy works at the federal and state level with:
- Education agencies, boards, commissions, committees, study groups and task forces
- Elected officials (including the U.S. Congress, governors and state legislators)
- State boards of education
- National and state government associations
- Policy advocacy organizations
- Teachers unions
- Institutions of higher education
- Other education stakeholders.