This commentary is part of a series of articles prepared by Voices of Educators, a nonprofit coalition designed to foster debate and public policy change in Hawai'i's public education system, in partnership with The Advertiser. It appears in Focus on the first Sunday of the month.

Voices of Educators is comprised of some of Hawai'i's top education experts, including: Liz Chun, executive director of Good Beginnings Alliance; Patricia Hamamoto, superintendent of the Department of Education; Christine Sorensen, dean of the University of Hawai'i's College of Education; Donald B. Young, of the College of Education, UH; Joan Lee Husted and Roger Takabayashi from the Hawai'i State Teachers Association; Sharon Mahoe of the Hawai'i Teacher Standards Board; Alvin Nagasako of the Hawai'i Government Employees Association; and Robert Witt of the Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools. Visit their Web site at www.hawaii.edu/voice.

In our previous articles (Oct. 7 and Nov. 4), the Voices of Educators called for commitment to address four key issues to improve teaching and learning for all children. In our Nov. 4 article we focused on developing a high-quality teacher workforce through a pipeline that provides invitations and opportunities for our young people to become teachers, enhanced support systems for teachers, and school environments that sustain continuing improvement.

One approach to developing and improving the teacher workforce is to focus on retaining the quality teachers we have. For the past five years, our teacher hiring needs have been approximately 1,600 teachers annually. Can we reduce that need by 500 or more teachers through strategies targeting retention? We think so.

Two strategies that are interconnected and for which there is growing evidence in Hawai'i and at the national level that they work are (1) high-quality mentoring and induction for teachers and (2) professional development schools. We are currently conducting work aligned with these strategies in the Nanakuli Complex, the Wai'anae Complex, and the Ka'u/Kea'au/Pahoa Complex Area. We must build on these isolated projects, support them and institutionalize them.

Mentoring and induction programs are important for both novice and veteran teachers. Novice teachers need professional and emotional support. Veteran teachers need support to improve their teaching and strengthen their commitment to the profession. Where high-quality programs are in place, there are lower teacher turnover rates.

One example is the Ka'u/ Kea'au/Pahoa Complex Area Mentoring and Induction Program, a partnership between the DOE and Kamehameha Schools. This two-year effort based on essential components of high-quality teacher support programs focuses on teacher retention and improving teaching and student achievement. Sixty teachers and 15 mentor teachers are receiving training focusing on the Hawaiian concepts of 'ohana (family), kaiaulu (community) and honua (place) and on teaching for higher student achievement.

In professional development schools, or PDS, mentoring and induction is one component of a holistic approach focused on a specific school or an entire complex. PDS work is based on shared decision-making between all parties to improve student learning. PDS sites have proven successful in (1) helping hard-to-staff schools "grow their own" future teachers, (2) better preparing teacher candidates to teach, (3) positively impacting PK-12 student achievement, and (4) improving teacher retention. One PDS model is presented here.

Institutional collaboration, sharing expertise and resources, is a fundamental principle. All partners must work together — the school, university and community.

Direct student support is provided at the school by various partners. Activities include tutoring, technology access and training, early intervention and extended school programs, and others. Services are jointly developed based on school needs and implemented by partners based on expertise.

Pre-service preparation occurs through in-depth experiences at the schools and university teacher preparation coursework on site. College faculty become members of the school community and programs encourage middle and high school students to consider teaching as a profession.

Teacher development includes high-quality mentoring and induction programs for new teachers, continuing professional development, and participation of teachers in preparing future teachers. On-site professional development is focused on issues important to the school and the achievement of students.

Leadership development includes working with principals and teacher leaders to better understand their schools and communities and to implement strategies to support the efforts of personnel in the school.

Community involvement is critical. Schools exist in different community contexts and the success of a PDS in improving student achievement depends on engaging community members to help determine the PDS' focus, provide feedback on strategies and activities, and build consensus in the larger community about the importance of the work.

The concept of the PDS is not unfamiliar in Hawai'i. One such project is through Ho'okulaiwi, operating in the Nanakuli Complex. UH College of Education faculty provide teacher preparation programs on site through undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or master's degree programs. Local teachers and community members are involved in delivering the teacher preparation program. Teacher candidates are immersed in the culture and context of the schools. Professional development for teachers occurs routinely and is focused on the specific needs of the schools.

We believe that these practices, mentoring and induction programs and professional development schools, hold great promise for better preparing and retaining teachers and improving student achievement. In limited ways we are already implementing these promising practices that can have a huge impact on the success of our children. However, the investment needed to fully implement these programs has been inadequate. They must be expanded and funded through mechanisms that are sustainable for the long term. We invite you to commit with us in addressing the challenge. As Helen Keller said, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."