School District of Clayton

New Teacher Induction and Mentoring 

A primary charge for the PDC in the Missouri Professional Development Guidelines is shepherding our new teacher induction system. The PDC is charged with establishing and monitoring assistance for beginning teachers, but is also responsible for working with experienced teachers.  The Clayton New Teacher Induction Program has always included all teachers new to Clayton. 

We generally have a cohort of 20 – 30 new teachers each year. These teachers are first introduced to Clayton during a four-day new teacher induction in August. This induction is designed to allow our new staff to be introduced to key staff, Clayton’s mission, vision and guiding principles, the curriculum they will be responsible for, the technology they need to immediately access, the building they will be assigned to, the evaluation system that will guide their growth, and other important needs such as payroll, insurance, compliance training, etc. There is then a two-year plan of ongoing support sessions in which teachers meet after school to address more specific areas such as instructional strategies, assessment, communication, differentiating for special populations, and other topics that arise based on the needs of the group. At new teacher induction, a mentor is assigned to each teacher. The mentor will advise and guide the new teacher as they become more acclimated to The School District of Clayton.