Arizona's Master Teacher Program History
The Master Teacher program: From inception to real results.
The Governor created the Master Teacher Program in 2002 based upon the need to support teachers new to the profession and develop sustainable teacher leadership in our schools and our state. At that time, only two or three districts had full time mentoring programs in the entire state, and the Master Teacher Program was designed to expand these programs to encourage high quality teaching and retention. The first schools and districts to participate were a part of a Teacher Quality Grant. These were reservation schools and schools in “enterprise” zones. Later the program was expanded to include schools with high poverty populations, those that had high teacher turnover rates, or were not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). This year, 2010, will mark the first year of a new Master Teacher Mentor/Coach application for those who are already coaching or mentoring in their districts.
The results thus far in terms of teacher retention have been dramatic. From a 60% retention rate at the beginning of the project, the initial schools showed a 74% retention rate after just three years, which is 5% higher than state average. Also, within these high needs schools, nearly a thousand teachers have now completed Individual Professional Development Plans, indicating not only the intention to keep teaching, but to do so at an enhanced level.
Since its inception the Master Teacher Program has identified 110 Master Teachers in 27 school districts. The vast majority of these Master Teachers serve as mentors, coaches or teacher leaders in their districts and at their sites. During that same period of time, the Master Teacher Program has supported over 1,000 candidates for National Board Certification and Take One, and there are now 681 National Board Certified Teachers in Arizona, a 260% increase since we began this program at the Arizona K12 Center in the 2005-06 school year.
