CULLOWHEE (August 11, 2015)—One-third of the teachers in the United States leave the profession after three years and nearly half leave by the fifth year. To quell this loss of talent in North Carolina, the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching has created a digital library containing videos and other materials to aid teachers—novice and veteran—in mastering the most common sources of frustration and confusion: Behavior Management, Brain Compatible Teaching, Differentiated Instruction, Assessment, and Taking Care of Yourself.
The Beginning Teacher Support Program videos and resources are available at http://www.nccat.org/beginning-teacher-support-program.
This online resource was made possible by a grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and filmed and edited by Western Carolina University’s Coulter Faculty Commons.
NCCAT, a national leader in professional development, used the funds to package portions of its “Connections” program. “Connections” focuses on first-year teachers and is designed to reinforce essential skills for good teaching, strengthen instructional practices and build professional networks. The goal of the program is to increase retention rates and improve the skill levels and effectiveness of new teachers.
NCCAT's Dr. Deb Teitelbaum led the program, assisted by a Teacher Advisory Panel that included: Lisa Nota Cunkelman, teacher, Lee County Schools; Audrey Estep, teacher, Pitt County Schools; Danielle Lehman, teacher, Jackson County Schools; and Elizabeth Beck Wiggs, literacy coach, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.