“Little Wins”: Impactful Coaching Practices to Support New Teachers

Abstract

The North Carolina New Teacher Support Program (NC-NTSP) provided induction support to 11,329 teachers between 2014 and 2024, with documented impacts on teacher retention. Through the lens of situated learning theory, this qualitative study explores NC-NTSP coaching practices post-pandemic, including what coaches envision as impactful practices and contextual factors that shaped their practices and outcomes. Our collaborative thematic analysis of 12 focus group interviews (N = 37) elucidated complexity in participants’ coaching practices posed by intensified needs of, and greater variability among, new teachers. Recognizing new teachers’ psychological and professional fragility, coaches prioritized building relationships with teachers and individualizing support. Coaches perceived their own impact in terms of “little wins” that contributed to enhanced instructional capacity, offering an alternative approach to advancing research on teacher induction.

Keywords

teacher induction mentoring professional development recruitment and retention

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