September 24, 2007

Renowned education advocate addresses new teachers’ needs

(Portland, Ore.)—New teacher retention is a serious challenge in the country, and Oregon, unfortunately, is not unique.

(Portland, Ore.)—New teacher retention is a serious challenge in the country, and Oregon, unfortunately, is not unique. Close to one out of every three new teachers in Oregon will leave the profession within their first five years, costing the state $45 million annually. Legislation passed in Oregon this spring provides new funding for mentoring programs to help retain new teachers. Lewis & Clark has served as one of the leading innovators working to raise retention rates in the state with its mentoring program, New Teacher Conversations, now in its third year.

On October 3, the Lewis & Clark Graduate School for Education and Counseling will host a public address by Jonathan Kozol, an educator, activist and author of nonfiction works focusing on issues of race, poverty and education. In his most recent work, Letters to a Young Teacher, Kozol takes a thought-provoking look at the challenges facing one new teacher through a series of correspondences with an experienced mentor. His first book, Death at an Early Age, received the 1968 National Book Award and his 1991 bestseller Savage Inequalities was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1992.

Event location and ticket information is available online.