New teacher induction and mentoring is the focus of a statewide conference that will be held February 26 and 27 in Springfield, Ill. This event is the eighth annual conference organized by the Illinois New Teacher Collaborative (INTC), and it is Illinois' only annual statewide conference devoted to new teacher mentoring and induction.

Conference planners expect nearly 300 educators and policymakers to attend the event, titled “New Teacher Induction and the Performance Reform Act (PERA),” at the Hilton Springfield, 700 E. Adams Street.

The INTC, a statewide initiative involving almost every group that has an interest in Illinois education, is housed in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The conference brings together teams of induction program coordinators, administrators, teacher mentors, new teachers, policy makers, and higher education teacher educators to learn from each other.

“Induction programs can enhance new teacher quality and improve retention, but creating a quality program is difficult. This conference helps induction programs improve and helps districts start new programs,” said Patricia Brady, acting director of INTC. “The bottom line is the positive impact this has on children across Illinois,” she added.

The first of two keynote speakers is Pam Rosa from the Consortium for Educational Change (CEC). Rosa is a senior consultant for effective professional practices at the CEC and has extensive experience helping schools with inducting new teachers.

The second keynote speaker is Renee Clift, associate dean of the College of Education at the University of Arizona. She is a former director of INTC and has published extensively on induction and mentoring.

This team-oriented conference features general sessions, breakout sessions, planning time, and networking opportunities for new teacher mentoring programs around the state. Participants will develop program improvement plans based on what they learn at the conference and apply it to their induction and mentoring programs.

INTC provides services and leadership on new teacher induction and collaborates extensively with stakeholder groups from across Illinois. It receives support from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Education and the State Farm Companies Foundation.