Western North Carolina school systems are finding it difficult to maintain adequate staffing due to the retirement of the teaching force, higher student enrollment, and smaller class sizes. In addition, many qualified teachers who enter the profession fail to stay in the classroom due to the pressures of the job and lack of support.

Building upon the university's existing partnerships with the public schools, the Center for the Support of Beginning Teachers (CSBT), a unique and fast-growing resource, works to stem the tide of new teachers abandoning the profession before they have completed five years of service. WNC beginning teachers, their mentors, and administrators benefit from the Center.

The original idea for CSBTcame from Dr. Michael Dougherty, former dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions. "A large part of the teacher shortage we're experiencing in North Carolina is due to issues we are facing in retaining qualified teachers in the classroom," said Dougherty. "The Center is part of an effort to keep beginning teachers in the classroom and provide them support to persist and be successful in the teaching profession."

The Center for Support of Beginning Teachers is aligned with the Boyer Model of Scholarship, QEP, Stewards of Place, and the Millennial Initiative with Western Carolina University's UNC-Tomorrow Initiative as an overarching guide. CSBT programs are a reflection of the designation of WCU as a community engaged campus by the Carnegie Foundation.

We invite you to learn more about CSBT and its research examining the effects of induction programs on teacher retention and new teacher development. Please contact us with your questions.

Photo: Thad Pickard, seventh grade teacher at Canton Middle School (Haywood County Schools).