Beginning teacher's induction practices in Texas: A comparative analysis

The purpose of this study was three fold. One was to determine if the administration of the TxBESS program has been of such a quality as to establish and maintain a strong induction program for beginning teachers. Another was to determine if there was a significant difference in responses of campus administrators pertaining to characteristics of induction programs between those utilizing TxBESS and those that do not. The third purpose was to determine if there was a significant difference in the turnover rate of teachers in the schools involved in this study that utilize TxBESS and those that do not. A survey was used to examine the differences between the two groups the TxBESS and NON-TxBESS group. The survey gathered quantitative information on Demographic Information; Team Selection, Logistics, and Duties; Team member Training; and Overall Effectiveness.; Participants in this study involved administrators or any campus level employee that was directly involved with the teacher induction process. One school district was randomly selected from each of the twenty ESC (Educational Service Center) regions that participated in the TxBESS program and matched to a school district not utilizing the TxBESS program. Subsequently, 4 schools (2 elementary and 2 secondary schools) from each of the selected districts were matched using campus comparison group data and compared to 4 equivalent schools in the districts not utilizing TxBESS. The survey was sent to 160 administrators, 80 from the randomly selected schools and 80 from the matched schools. There were ninety-three surveys returned out of one hundred and sixty. Fifty respondents were from schools districts utilizing TxBESS and forty-three respondents were from the matched NON-TxBESS group. As a result, the return rate was calculated as fifty-nine percent.; The findings of this study revealed that TxBESS was an effective beginning teacher induction program. There were no statistically significant differences found between the means responses of the respondents from both the TxBESS group and the NON-TxBESS groups in reference to the characteristics of an induction program. However, differences were found in e-mail, regularly scheduled face to face meetings, and communication through mentors as effective means of assisting beginning teachers; as well as receiving some form of beginning teacher induction training. Also, there were no statistically significant differences found between the school districts utilizing the TxBESS program and school districts utilizing their own form of induction, in reference to the teacher turnover ratio. In summary, based upon the findings, school districts utilizing their own form of induction were equally as effective as the school districts that utilized the TxBESS program.