On-Boarding Experienced Teachers in a New School

Each year school administrators find themselves in the position of hiring new teachers and onboarding them to the unique expectations and context of the school. Such work most often happens while these new teachers are actively doing the work of teaching, with few contracted hours of training available. Limited research has focused on the experience of onboarding for teachers who are experienced in the field, but new to a particular school. Recognizing this challenge, this team of researchers and participants set out to examine the flow of information in one school for four teachers in their first year of teaching at a public charter school. Findings point to the complexities of onboarding in a school environment, including mentoring, expectations, the value of support and logistical needs.