Initial Educator and Mentor Survey

SURVEY RESULTS

Surveys were sent to public school initial educators and mentors whose districts applied for the initial educator mentor grant. The summary results for the groups who responded to the surveys can be found below. All documents are in PDF format and require Adobe's Acrobat Reader.

2009 Survey Results

• Initial Educator - First-year Teachers (n = 804 respondents)
• Initial Educator - Second-year Teachers (n = 457)
• Initial Educator - First-year Pupil Services Professionals (n = 27)
• Initial Educator - Second-year Pupil Services Professionals (n = 24)
• Initial Educator - First-year Administrators (n = 59)
• Initial Educator - Second-year Administrators (n = 17)
• Mentors of Initial Educator - Teachers (n = 994)
• Mentors of Initial Educator - Pupil Services Professionals (n = 16)
• Mentors of Initial Educator - Administrators (n = 19)

Data from the 2009 survey is available on request. See the Data Extraction Form and instructions.

2008 Survey Results

Initial educator administrators and administrator mentors were also surveyed in 2008, but the small size of the sample and the limited number of survey responses did not produce a data set large enough to conduct reliable analyses for that group.

• Initial Educator - Teachers (n = 746 respondents)
• Initial Educator - Pupil Services Professionals (n = 73)
• Mentors of Initial Educator - Teachers (n = 708)
• Mentors of Initial Educator - Pupil Services Professionals (n = 63)

BACKGROUND

In 2004 the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction implemented a significant departure in state policy regarding the preparation, induction, and continuing professional development of Wisconsin educators. Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter PI 34, also known as the Wisconsin Quality Educator Initiative, created a new, standards-based system for preparing and supporting the preparation of teachers, administrators, and pupil services personnel. More specifically, PI 34 was enacted to accomplish several major goals on behalf of teaching and learning priorities for Wisconsin schools in the 21st century, including the following:

• Create a shared vision of what educators should know and be able to do to improve student learning
• Develop career-long professional development
• Create performance based assessment of preparation and practice
• Address challenges and opportunities presented by diverse student populations
• Improve access to equitable educational opportunities for all students. (Wisconsin Administrative Code, Chapter PI 34).

This new initiative called for expanded partnerships among local school districts, institutions of higher education, and the Department of Public Instruction. The responsibility for local school districts includes assuring that all initial educators (i.e., professionals who complete educator preparation programs after August 31, 2004) are provided with a support system. According to PI 34, the support system must include:

• Ongoing orientation;
• Support seminars;
• A qualified mentor for each initial educator who has been trained to provide input into the confidential formative assessment of initial educators; and
• An administrator who has been trained in the Professional Development Plan team process.

To support the development of initial educator support systems, Wisconsin has provided funding annually to local districts. DPI grant programs have been provided funding to cover a portion of the costs associated with but not limited to: mentor training, mentor stipends, release time for initial educators to attend support seminars, release time for mentors to observe and meet with initial educators, ongoing orientation, and other induction system activities.

Documenting the extent to which initial educator support systems have been implemented and describing the nature of their quality and impact is an important ingredient for building Wisconsin’s capacity for delivering high quality education. The Great Lakes West Comprehensive Assistance Center assisted the DPI's Teacher Education, Professional Development and Licensing (TEPDL) team in designing and conducting an online evaluation surveys.

The anonymous surveys sought feedback from these new educators and their mentors for multiple purposes. First, the survey data provided information that will enable staff to revise the several resource documents, including the various PDP Educator Toolkits and other information resources, maintained by the TEPDL team. Second, the survey results can inform and expand the resource directory of Promising Initial Educator Practices on the DPI website. Third, data from the surveys can be used to strengthen educator preparation programs. Teacher educators can locate data on the extent to which initial educators say their preparation programs provided support for particular teaching standards and the standards they were "least prepared" to implement. Finally, the survey feedback provides valuable, customer-focused input, which can help districts and other stakeholder groups build and improve support for initial educators. It also informs internal and external accountability associated with PI 34 and the Wisconsin Induction Model.

For questions about this information, contact Judith L. Peppard (608) 266-0986

Last updated on 9/3/2009 3:05:14 PM