New AZ K12 Teacher Support Program expands, aiding over 300 educators in 22 Arizona districts
More than 300 new teachers in Arizona schools received the support of an instructional mentor this past school year as a part of the Arizona K12 Center’s Arizona New Teacher Support Program. This program is a significant part of the Arizona K12 Center’s approach to teacher retention in the state. Through this program, the Arizona K12 Center provides financial assistance and ongoing training for a full-release, non-evaluative instructional mentor to support teachers in their first three years of teaching. The Center also provides training for district teams to best support their schools’ induction and mentoring work.
This past year, seven school districts were originally accepted into the Arizona New Teacher Support Program, but the Center was able to expand to 22 partner sites thanks to a $2 million grant from the office of Governor Katie Hobbs. With 22 sites each providing a mentor to 15 beginning teachers, this program potentially influenced the learning of more than 10,000 students.
By integrating research-based induction and mentoring structures, the Arizona New Teacher Support Program focuses on teacher quality and teacher retention for beginning teachers, the population most likely to leave the profession. Applications will open later this fall for the 2025–2027 cycle of the Arizona New Teacher Support Program.
