Contemporary Issues in Education

Getting quality teachers into urban schools is only half the battle. "At present, urban districts lose nearly one half of their newly hired teachers within the first 5 years of service" (Sachs, 2004, ¶ 1). Districts are using signing bonuses to attract new teachers, then offering low-interest housing loans, and tuition reimbursement programs to keep them (NEA, 2004b; VanKraayenoord, 2001). Other perks new teachers look for are high quality mentoring programs and on-going programs that promote collaboration among teachers. Mentoring may be especially important in urban areas where new teachers are faced with the challenge of working with students who need extra social, emotional, and academic support for which the teacher is not prepared (Kajs, 2002; NEA, 2004b; Tillman, 2003). While university programs struggle to prepare today's teacher for the challenges of the urban environment, the mentor can play a key role in bridging the gap between university instruction and practical experiences.…