Roles of School Counselors in Supporting Novice Teachers

Abstract

Many novice teachers are leaving the teaching profession at alarming numbers creating teacher turnover rates that may be difficult for educational administrators to combat. Novice teachers have a variety of needs and if those needs are not met, these teachers may not return for another year in the classroom. Teacher induction programs are designed to help meet the needs of novice teachers, but they must be structured appropriately and must use trained personnel who will be able to provide support for the novice teachers. The purpose of this study is to determine to what degree school counselors could be used as an additional source of support to help meet the needs of novice teachers by providing preparation and support to assist their transition into the classroom in order to improve retention rates among novice teachers. The review of literature examined teacher induction programs and the professional, developmental, and social needs of novice teachers. It also examined the role of school counselors to assess the skills and training they have that may be used to support novice teachers. This study asked school counselors to indicate the type and amount of support they currently provide to novice teachers and to provide their perception on serving as a source of support for novice teachers. The results of this study indicate that school counselors have several skills that could be used to support novice teachers. However, because they lack skills in certain areas where novice teachers have need, school counselors should not be used as a sole source of support for novice teachers. The results of this study suggest that school counselors should be used in conjunction with other campus personnel to most effectively meet the needs of novice teachers.