The Data Is In: ELP Continues to Support Teacher Retention

teachers with their students

Last year, we shared quantitative data collected by our partner, Digital Promise, at the conclusion of our two-year pilot program. Their findings showed the program helps retain New Teachers. This year, we are pleased to share the assessment from the 2023-24 school year, our first year in beta.

In both assessments, Digital Promise measures the results against the four key outcomes we hope our program achieves:

  1. Help early career teachers feel effective sooner

  2. Support their well-being and reduce their stress and isolation

  3. Retain them in the profession

  4. Ensure that their mentors and coaches also felt effective 

Overall, we continue to achieve these outcomes, and we received valuable feedback on areas where we can improve.

Though we had fewer states and school districts participating in 2023-24, we had around the same number of New Teachers (NTs), In-Person Mentors (IPMs), and Virtual Instructional Coaches (VICs) as we did during the pilot. This year, participants hailed from Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota.

  • 63 NTs (3 returning)

  • 21 IPMs (0 returning) 

  • 40 VICs (12 returning)

Here’s what we learned in this year’s assessment:

New Teacher effectiveness grew during the school year

To be an effective teacher, you must be able to manage your classroom. Participating NTs knew this, and gaining classroom management skills was a priority for them this year.  (The other two priorities that NTs hoped ELP would address this year were having subject-specific guidance from a coach and connecting to a veteran teacher.)

NTs worked with their VICs on classroom management skills (along with pedagogy and student engagement), and they joined workshops on the topic.

As one NT shared, “The management ones and behavior, those [workshops] were really helpful. Those are things I know I’ve been struggling with this year, and it’s becoming a bigger problem.” -NT 

We were also pleased to learn that NTs’ sense of efficacy in various areas of teaching increased this year. Adapting instruction, helping ELL students, and connecting with unmotivated students were the top areas in which NTs’ felt more equipped as this year unfolded. 

ELP supported their well-being and reduced their stress

We heard less than in years past about work-life balance, but venting remained important. The NTs who had an IPM this year cited a top ELP support as someone safe to vent to. 

Most NTs said ELP provided the support they needed and helped them survive the year. NTs continued to say that ELP reduced their stress and helped them know they were not alone.

“This program has helped make me feel not so alone or overwhelmed. Sometimes it’s nice to get that email that’s like, I know you’re busy but just checking up on you. I know I have someone to vent to and people who want to help me do better. We spend all day creating relationships with our students, and it’s hard to make those adult connections.” -NT

Retention rates among past New Teachers are high

Digital Promise checked in with NTs who participated in the pilot, and 91% were still teaching at the end of the 2023-24 school year - even in places where leaders reported attrition challenges. 

Consistent with positive data on NT retention from the pilot years, similar stories emerged this year of NTs who kept going due to their ELP supports, even when they were on the brink of leaving. 

“Our last meeting we had last week, she’s very frustrated and in tears, and [saying] I don’t know if this career is for me… so we had a long conversation about, you know, why’d you go into this, and I believe you’re in the right place, and these are the reasons why I think so. And so, she’s gonna stick with it, and she’s gonna keep trying.” -VIC

Data in fall 2024 will reveal whether this year’s NTs indeed kept going, but for now the signs are positive and attributable to their ELP supports.

Mentors and coaches still feel effective

In all three years of research, the top two reasons for IPMs and VICs participating in ELP have not changed: they enjoy working with early career teachers and want to give back to the profession. 

The top way IPMs thought they helped NTs was offering a space to vent and process the emotional challenges of teaching, followed by helping them feel welcome at the school and discussing instruction. 

The top three ways VICs felt they helped NTs were reflecting on practice, discussing instruction, and helping them handle student behavior.

Beyond any gains in mentoring or coaching effectiveness, 89% of IPMs and 93% of VICs believed ELP helped them experience being a teacher leader. They felt benefits to their own teaching, learned from their NTs, and were thankful for the opportunity to be treated as experts. 

Three new things we learned

The assessments are always full of new ideas and invaluable feedback from participants. This year, we learned the following three things. 

Our alumni are very engaged

New this year were alumni-led events that allowed ELP alumni to share their expertise with NTs, IPMs, and VICs; they were well-attended and well-received.

“It was great getting to speak directly to former mentors who have been in the trenches.” -Jan. 25 workshop (current IPM)

We will continue to tap into their enthusiasm for the program and expertise as educators. 

Participants want a better online community

Participants feel positive about the virtual community ELP has already built. We host workshops that allow participants to learn from us, each other, and build relationships. 

Relationship-building has proven to be a major strength of the program, and this year, participants suggested using ongoing mini-cohorts through breakout groups with like-role groupings. We think this is a great idea, too.

We need to improve the guidance we provide

As we have mentioned in previous blog posts, we initially provided broad guidance to IPMs and VICs on how to support their NTs. We didn’t want to create a constricted environment bound by rules. We wanted to let NTs get the type of support they needed when they needed. 

We have made strides in this area, but we learned that participants wished for concrete guidance in a few specific formats:

  • A one-page checklist of expectations and assignments, tied to dates.

  • A one-page calendar showing required events (and optional ones) 

  • A concise syllabus showing the yearlong trajectory 

  • Meeting guidelines for how often and how long to meet with NTs 

  • Continued use of the rubric received from TNTP

Noted!

ELP will continue to evolve to better serve New Teachers

The 2024-25 school year is nearly here, and we are looking forward to supporting a new cohort of New Teachers. We will continue to report back on our progress and learnings while keeping an eye on the big picture: Better student outcomes rest on the competence and confidence of teachers.

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What We’re Doing to Better Support ELP Participants in 2024

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6 Things We Learned From the Spring Survey of Participating Teachers