About NEST
The Problem
Novice teachers are often under-prepared for the complex challenges of teaching in disadvantaged schools, and school-based support for teachers is either insufficient or non-existent
A high share of novice teachers work in challenging school environments, such as schools with a higher number of migrant students and/or students from low income homes (OECD, 2018). Disadvantaged schools require highly effective teachers, but are often least likely to have them due to difficulties in recruiting and lack of support and mentorship.
In comparison to peers based in other schools, novice teachers who work in disadvantaged schools are more likely to either change schools, or leave the profession entirely. They have the added responsibility of addressing the needs of a larger number of students learning in less supportive or even adverse environments, with fewer resources at their disposal and less developed skills for self-directed learning.
Evidence shows that mentorship is critical for supporting novice teachers in disadvantaged schools, yet structured induction programmes remain rare and few novice teachers have access to high-quality mentorship. The NEST consortium believes that effective mentoring of novice teachers could save time and costs, increasing effectiveness, job satisfaction, retention and attractiveness of the profession.
The Purpose
The NEST project will design and pilot a model to support novice teachers in disadvantaged schools and evaluate its impact
NEST will design, pilot and demonstrate that its underpinning adaptive mentoring model is a relevant and effective solution to the need to increase effectiveness, motivation and ultimate retention of novice teachers working at disadvantaged schools.
The outcomes of this project should provide transnational learnings and offer a roadmap for potential methodologies for improving the support of novice teachers. Specifically, the knowledge generated is expected to be transferable and scalable to public authorities, policy-makers, certification agencies, universities, and non-government organisations seeking to adopt adaptive support for novice teachers within their contexts.
The Approach
NEST experimental methodology will follow a quasi-experimental design across Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania and Spain
NEST will examine the impact of mentor training (intervention I) and adaptive mentoring for novice teachers (intervention II) across five countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania and Spain) for two years. The NEST model builds on the four-A-scheme which defines basic principles of the right to education (Tomasêvski, 2001):
- Availability of mentoring: Recruitment and qualification of mentors, professional development and working conditions of mentors.
- Accessibility of mentoring: Frequency of mentoring and time (mentors’ time per novice teacher and novice teachers per mentor).
- Acceptability of the curriculum of mentoring and the methods of mentoring: Relevant, culturally appropriate and quality curriculum and methods.
- Adaptability of mentoring: Degree of adaptive mentoring for the specific professional development needs of teachers teaching at disadvantaged schools.
Within the NEST project design, these categories will be applied to mentoring for novice teachers and yield an innovative model to compare national structures and practices in more depth and thus taking the European discourse on novice teacher mentoring and support to a higher level.
Through the tailored mentor training the adaptability of mentoring to disadvantaged school contexts will be increased. While providing adaptive mentoring, the project will analyse the acceptability of the new approach. To this end, the units of study design will focus on the two target groups: experienced teachers (trained mentors and a control group) and novice teachers (intervention and control group). The project will examine seven educational systems overall, as in Spain and Belgium two educational systems will participate in the project.
Experienced teachers will be followed over a period of two school years. As a higher fluctuation of novice teachers in their first years is expected, this group will be followed over one school year. Consequently, two successive cohorts of novice teachers will be followed: one cohort for the school year 2021/2022 and one cohort for the school year 2022/2023. Each cohort consists of one group intervention group (receiving adaptive mentoring) and one control group (receiving the prevalent mentoring).
Mentors and Teachers
Theory of change in NEST
NEST Approach
Mentor Competencies and Skills increase as a result of NEST mentor trainings
- Teach For All partner organizations design and implement adaptive mentor training of professionals for novice teachers working in disadvantaged schools.
- Mentor engagement with novice teachers in disadvantaged schools over the course of two years.
- Tailored approaches in 7 different local education systems across the EU.
- NEST project consortium shares best practices and lessons learned across the EU borders.
Mentors something something
Mentor operates with self-awareness of their identity, role as mentor, and vision of success.
Mentor builds strong, trusting relationships with mentees.
Mentor builds their own and mentees’ ability for reflection and reflective dialogue grounded in evidence.
Mentor has a solid understanding of effective pedagogy and the interconnectedness of different aspects of instructional practice.
Mentors contribute to novice teachers skills development and improved retention in disadvantage schools
Teacher mindset: Improved motivation and job satisfaction.
Teacher mindset: Strengthened orientation to build authentic relationships with students while empowering them and fostering student engagement.
Teacher knowledge and competence: A strong and conducive classroom culture (learning environment, rules, etc.)
Teacher knowledge and competences: Ability to set a vision and goals based on learning objectives along with effective planning skills
- Increased access to quality mentorship for novice teachers
- Improved teacher retention in disadvantaged schools.
- Package of recommendations for adaptive mentoring for policymakers.
NEST experimental design and timelines
Sep 2021
April 2022
April 2023
Intervention Group Mentors
T0
T1
T2
Tailored mentor training and mentoring activities
Mentoring activities and follow up
Control Group Mentoring Teachers
T1
T2
Control for prevalent mentoring teachers’ qualification and work
Oct 2021
June 2022
Oct 2022
June 2023
Intervention Group Novice Teachers
T0
T1
T0
T1
Adaptive mentoring provided to group n2
Control Group Novice Teachers
T0
T1
T0
T1
Control for prevalent mentoring (group cn1)
Control for prevalent mentoring (group cn2)
