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Researchers have long found that teachers with experience are more effective at raising student achievement than new teachers. Yet, high rates of teacher turnover, particularly among those in poorly performing schools, have obstructed this in practice. While pecuniary incentives for steady employment in problem schools have been limited, many districts have experimented with teacher mentoring to help new employees develop professional skills and overcome difficulties they face at the start of their careers. Over 1 million new teachers received mentoring between 1993 and 2003, and the significance of such programs is growing. Existing academic studies, however, have failed to ascertain if mentoring actually works.

To assess the effects of various mentoring programs on employee turnover and skill acquisition, Jonah Rockoff of Columbia Business School recently studied the impact of mentoring in New York City, examining the relationship between teacher and student outcomes and measures of mentoring quality, such as hours of mentoring received and the characteristics of mentors. On June 25, 2008, AEI will host a presentation of Rockoff’s findings, followed by a critical discussion by Aminda Gentile of the United Federation of Teachers, Howard Nelson of the American Federation of Teachers, and Michael J. Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. AEI senior fellow and director of economic policy studies Kevin A. Hassett will moderate. This event is sponsored by AEI’s Future of American Education Project, a new effort to discover and promote original empirical work on K–12 school reform.