Beginning teacher support and assessment programs, intern programs and teacher attrition

This study examined whether there is a significant difference in the rate of attrition of teachers participating in the RIMS/BTSA Induction program in their first two years of teaching, as compared to Intern teachers who do not participate in the program. Additionally, it attempted to determine if teachers participating in Induction programs receive more effective support than Intern teachers, as perceived by district administrators who coordinate the programs. Using a Demographic Survey and a Teacher Support Survey, both researcher designed, human resource administrators from eight participating school districts provided demographic information related to attrition. They also rated the effectiveness of support provided to teachers participating in the Induction and Intern programs. The eight school districts employed 503 first-year Induction teachers, 158 second-year Induction teachers, and 191 Interns during the relevant period. Research questions explored whether there was a statistically significant difference in the overall rate of attrition between teachers participating in the Induction program as compared to Intern teachers. The research also explored whether there was a statistically significant difference in the rate of attrition between Induction and Intern teachers based on the categories of male/female, over-30/under-30, minority/non-minority, and elementary/secondary. Lastly, the research explored if there was a statistically significant difference in the levels of support provided to Induction teachers as compared to Intern teachers. Results of the study showed no statistically significant difference in the rate of attrition between teachers who received the Induction program during their first two years of teaching and Intern teachers who did not. There was also no statistically significant difference in the rate of attrition between the two groups of teachers based on gender, age, minority status, or grade level taught. The study further showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the level of support given to Induction teachers as compared to Intern teachers. However, while these administrators perceive there to be more support for Induction teachers than for Intern teachers, this additional support did not appear to increase teacher retention.