recruiting and retaining ap teaching talent

Recruiting and Retaining AP Teaching

TalentBy: Jillian M. Sansivero, MA

AP Language and Literature TeacherDallas, TX

What brings you to this session today?

Recruiting and Cultivating AP Talent

First Things First: Determine the qualities that you would like to see an AP teacher.

Things that are traditionally valued: 1. Master Teacher-an

expert2. Someone with many

years of experience3. Someone with connections to an

administrator4. A “tough” teacher

Well----What is really important???

Are tenured teachers the best choice?

Not necessarily. 1. With tenure comes comfort.

2. With comfort comes a tendency to not want to change.

3. Why should I focus on results if I am safe in this department?

4. So I lose AP; it is more work anyways.

Just because someone has been there forever, it does not mean that

they are the most qualified.

Younger teachers could help your program more than you

think. -They want to impress their

administrators. -They come to you with the

newest techniques from their degree programs.

-They will work for less money.

-They have more time to dedicate.

Hook them early and you can:

1. Mold them into what you want

2. Offer them lots of PD3. Give them incentives

They will stick with you!

Younger or “More Seasoned”

Choose Teachers Who:1. Are creative and innovative2. Are not high maintenance; you have other things to do.3. Come from high quality

universities4. Have shown you that they can build strong relationships

with kids5. Are “tough” and can

motivate kids.

When we talk AP, aren’t we also talking about a

program that depends on results?

Passing the test means college credit.

Teachers that get results should be rewarded.

Your students are the benefactors.

Aren’t they the ones who matter most?

My ResearchI surveyed 50 high school teachers (AP and non- AP) from across the country to

find out what would motivate them to take an

AP position or to stay in an AP position.

You might be shocked....

The Research Pool:

50% Regular HS Teachers17% Pre-AP/Honors

Teachers33% Current or Former AP

teachers

All teachers listed the following deterrents:

1. Increased Prep Time: 42%

2. Grading Load: 58%3. Lack of Recognition:

16%

Regular High School Teachers

Question 1: If you were approached by an

administrator and asked to teach an AP course in your discipline for next year how likely would be to do it? (If you had a choice to do it or

not)50% said “very likely”

33% said “likely”17% said “not likely”

Question 2: Which of the following incentives would

influence you?

“Very likely” teachers wanted:

1. A stipend: 66% (50% $1,000+)

(50% $250-$500)2. Extra planning/conference

period:66%3. Mentoring from other AP

teachers: 66%4. Paid for PD through the CB: 33%5. Plaque/Certificate/Parking Spot:

16%

100% of “Likely” teachers wanted:

1. A stipend ($250-$500)2. Extra planning/conference

period3. Mentoring from other AP

teachers

“Not likely” teachers wanted:

1. A stipend: 50% ($500-1,000)

2. Extra planning/conference period: 100%

3. Mentoring from other AP teachers: 100%

4. Paid for PD through the CB: 50%5. Plaque/Certificate/Parking Spot:

0%

Question 3: How important would it be for you to receive mentoring

from a seasoned AP teacher?

50% said “Very Important”50% said “Slightly important”

Question 4: If you were required to be mentored

as a new AP teacher, which would you like to

have input on?1. Frequency of meetings: 50%2. Agenda for meetings: 33%

3. Teaching style of mentor: 100%4. Personality of mentor: 60%

Question 5: To what degree would PD

opportunities attract you to the AP program?

Very likely: 80%Indifferent: 20%

Question 6: What types of PD would you like to

participate in?1. Online Workshops by CB: 40%2. In person CB workshops: 80%

3. Retreats with other AP teachers: 20%

4. Annual AP Summer Conferences: 0%5. AP Training at local colleges: 60%

Question 7: How important is camaraderie

among AP teachers to you?

Very Important: 20%Somewhat Important: 40%

Indifferent: 40%Not Important: 0%

Pre-AP/Honors Teachers

Question 1: If you were approached by an

administrator and asked to teach an AP course in your discipline for next year how likely would be to do it? (If you had a choice to do it or

not)

100% said “likely”

Question 2: Which of the following incentives would

influence you?

Pre-AP/Honors teachers wanted:

1. A stipend: 66% (33% $1,000+)

(33% $250-$500)2. Extra planning/conference

period:66%3. Mentoring from other AP teachers:

33%4. Paid for PD through the CB: 66%

5. Plaque/Certificate/Parking Spot: 33%6. Appreciation Breakfasts: 66%

7. Selection of Roster: 33%

Question 3: How important would it be for you to receive mentoring

from a seasoned AP teacher?

33% said “Indifferent”66% said “Slightly important”

Question 4: If you were required to be mentored

as a new AP teacher, which would you like to

have input on?1. Frequency of meetings: 66%

2. Agenda for meetings: 0%3. Teaching style of mentor: 66%

4. Personality of mentor: 66%

Question 5: To what degree would PD

opportunities attract you to the AP program?

Very likely: 33%Indifferent: 66%

Question 6: What types of PD would you like to

participate in?1. Online Workshops by CB: 33%2. In person CB workshops: 0%

3. Retreats with other AP teachers: 33%

4. Annual AP Summer Conferences: 66%

5. AP Training at local colleges: 66%

Question 7: How important is camaraderie

among AP teachers to you?

Very Important: 0%Somewhat Important: 33%

Indifferent: 66%Not Important: 0%

Mentoring: The Key to Cultivation

A Look at Mentoring:Protocol Questions for

Data Collection (Cook Study 2012)

• 1. Were you provided with a mentor when you began your teaching position?

• 78.5% reported receiving some sort of mentoring.

• 21% reported receiving no mentoring.

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• 2. Did you have any input regarding the selection of your mentor?

• 100% of teachers who received mentoring reported having no input regarding the selection of their respective mentor.

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• 3. What was the title of your mentor?

• 82.4% reported “Teacher”• 4.1% reported “Administrator”• 13.5% reported “Other”

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• 4. Was your mentor familiar with your content area?

• 84.9% reported “YES”• 15.1% reported “NO”

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• 5. Did you have any input with your mentor regarding the agenda of your meetings?

• 56.2% reported “YES”• 43.8% reported “NO”

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• 6. Did you have any input with your mentor regarding the frequency of your meetings?

• 45.2% reported “YES”• 54.8% reported “NO”

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• 7. How many times per month did you receive mentoring?

• 42.5% reported once monthly• 23.3% reported twice monthly• 6.8% reported three times monthly• 27.4% reported more than three times

monthly

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• 8. How long did you receive mentoring for?

• 60.3% reported only 1 year• 34.2% reported 2 years • 2.7% reported 3 years • 2.7% reported more than 3 years

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• 9. Were you satisfied with your mentoring experience?

• 64.4% reported “YES.”• 35.6% reported “NO.”

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• Satisfied teachers said: • “I could not have made it without her

support and encouragement.”• “My mentor was attentive to my needs.”• “I had the support of the entire cluster.”• “She was open to freely give me support

that would build my lessons in the classroom.”

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• “My mentor was a master teacher in my content area.”

• “I was assigned a mentor who visited frequently and offered suggestions.”

• “My mentor and I had the same planning period and we taught 2 different sections of the same class.”

• “My mentor was approachable and very helpful.”

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• Dissatisfied teachers said: • “My mentoring experience was very

unstructured.”• “I did not receive the needed teaching support.”• “My mentor was from a different campus with a

different schedule.”• “I taught 10th grade world history and my

mentor was a kindergarten teacher.”

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• “We never met for guidance and feedback.”• “My mentor was not familiar with my

subject area.”• “We had little chemistry and our teaching

styles were very different.”• “My mentor was assigned to me and did not

want to be a mentor.”

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Some of these things are logistically out of

an administrator’s control but the

following shouldalways be met:

Every teacher should receive a mentor when they are put in a new teaching position. No one can do it alone; there are many different things to adjust to. Emotional and professional support are paramount.

Every teacher should have input regarding the selection of their mentor. Seeing a new perspective can be good, but the new teacher’s particular needs and style need to be at the forefront. Contrasting teaching styles can be jarring and might be better for the 2nd year of mentoring.

Ways to give new teachers input: 1. Have all of your new teachers and new mentors complete a personality test. 2. Have new teachers make a list of qualities that they hope for in a mentor. 3. Have mentors make a list of things that they think are important to cover with their new teacher.

Every new teacher should be mentored by a teacher. Although having a strong relationship with your administrators is important, they should not be the primary mentor.

New teachers need someone they can “vent to” and share their teaching experiences with.

Both mentor and new teacher should work together to set the agenda.

Every new teacher must receive a mentor who is a master teacher in their content.New teachers need lesson planning support and thus need to be placed with someone who understands the standards and expectations set forth by the department and academic discipline.

Maintaining Your AP Talent:

What Your Current AP Teachers Want

Which of the following incentives would influence your decision to stay in the

AP program?

“Very likely” teachers wanted:

1. A stipend: 0%2. Extra planning/conference

period: 33%3. Mentoring from other AP

teachers:33% 4. Paid for PD through the

CB:100%5. Plaque/Certificate/Parking Spot:

33%6. Recognition Breakfasts: 100%

How important would it be for you to receive

mentoring from a seasoned AP teacher?

100% said “Slightly important”

To what degree would PD opportunities attract you

to the AP program?Very likely: 100%

What types of PD would you like to participate in?

1. Online Workshops by CB: 100%2. In person CB workshops: 100%

3. Retreats with other AP teachers: 100%

4. Annual AP Summer Conferences: 100%

5. AP Training at local colleges: 100%

How important is camaraderie among AP

teachers to you? Very Important: 66%

Somewhat Important: 33%

You have them....

Ways to Keep Them1. Offer mentoring

2. Use incentives (we’ll talk about this later)

3. Pay for your teachers to go to Professional Development

Workshops 4. Give them extra time to

plan and grade

We live in a capitalist society.

Even though teachers often do things from the

“goodness” in their hearts....

You’ll get even better results by PAYING THEM

APPROPRIATELYand

treating them like

GOLD

We know that: All teachers like to feel appreciated and valued by their administrators. Teachers tend to be proud of each other’s accomplishments. Teachers value hard work and accomplishments.

What current perks do you have in place for

your Advanced Placement teachers?

Contrary to what students think, teachers are real people with real lives!

AP Teachers are more likely to.....

-Spend those extra hours grading at night

-Be in a better mood-Spend more time creating new, more exciting lessons

-Attend a professional development workshop on a

weekend-Tutor more after school -Review best practices

If they can now afford to: -Have a date night

-Save for a vacation -Buy things for their

children-Get a manicure/pedicure-Enjoy a nice glass of wine

All it might take is: -A gift card -A plaque

-An appreciation meal-Thank you cards

-A small bonus around the holidays

-Chocolate and wine!

Questions & Answers