What is New Teacher

This chapter examines the implementation of teacher induction programs to assist new teachers in the Anglophone Caribbean who, like their counterparts in other parts of the world, face a steep learning curve in the first five years of employment. The programs are part of a wider regional thrust to improve academic performance, and they are as varied as the territories in which they exist. A description of the programs implemented in each territory is presented. Information for the description was garnered directly from the ministries of education of each territory and also from their websites. This is followed by a summary of the findings of the research on induction available from Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Belize. It was discovered that all territories have implemented some form of induction program, and that these programs are beneficial to new teachers. The programs also have shortcomings which can be mitigated by the implementation of the recommendations proposed in the Draft Framework of Generic Teaching Performance and Academic Standards.