Schaberg New Teacher Support Program
The Schaberg New Teacher Support Program (NTSP) bridges teacher preparation and employment, providing the tools necessary for our alumni to remain in the teaching profession. The Schaberg NTSP is a collaboration between Petersburg City Public Schools, Richmond Public Schools, and the VCU School of Education.
Supporting Beginning Teachers
The Schaberg NTSP is a collaborative effort to create greater learning opportunities for students in our region through stronger teaching practice and teacher retention. VCU alumni who accept a position in partner schools receive three years of mentoring and coaching as they transition from teacher candidates to teacher-leaders.
“Focusing only on teacher recruitment misses an opportunity to reduce turnover. We need to do more to retain teachers and this program is a response to that need. Each year that a teacher remains in the classroom, that teacher becomes more effective, impacting students’ learning outcomes and contributing to greater school community cohesion.”
– Adria Hoffman, Ph.D., Anna Lou Schaberg Professor of Practice
Job-embedded Professional Learning
VCU alumni who accept a position in identified schools will receive three years of mentoring and coaching as they transition from teacher candidates to teacher-leaders. One of the largest challenges in supporting novice teachers is the disconnect from their primary responsibilities. When we require additional professional development workshops and meetings, they feel stretched too thin. Instead, this model focuses on job-embedded professional learning in which mentors sit beside mentees as they engage in their actual work (e.g., writing effective lesson plans, analyzing student work, and designing engaging family communication tools).
What Makes This Program Different?
We draw on evidence in pedagogy, adult learning, and the Profiles of a Virginia Classroom and Educator in this design, positioning the novice teacher as an equal partner in the professional learning process. Instead of the passive recipient of someone else’s observation data, feedback, and areas of focus, the mentor-mentee (novice teacher) pair work collaboratively to establish areas of focus and engage in a skill-based model of professional learning. The novice teachers will develop greater understanding of the language of practice used in the school division, self-observation and analysis skills, and skillful design of their own learning.
Contact
VCU School of Education
1015 W. Main St.
Richmond, VA 23284-2020
Phone: (804) 827-6847
Email: soeinfo@vcu.edu