The Beginning Educator Support Team (BEST) supports novice educators in Washington through comprehensive induction. The goal of the program is to support and retain beginning educators to ensure equitable access to high-quality education for every student in Washington. When we set up our novice teachers for success, we set up their students for success.

“Washington school districts who are fully engaged in the BEST mentoring program retain new educators at a four percentage-point higher rate than school districts who do not use the program, according to a study published this month by the University of Washington (UW) College of Education’s Center of Teaching and Policy.”

-Superintendent Chris Reykdal

Standards for Beginning Educator Induction

Effective support for Beginning Educators.

Washington State Standards for Mentoring 

A tool to guide mentors in self-assessment and reflection.

Events & Trainings

Free opportunities for mentors and induction leaders to build and strengthen their knowledge to support novice educators.

Grant Information

Competitive grants are awarded to school districts and/or regional consortia when funds are made available by the Legislature. BEST will continue to award grants to renewing grantees but is not currently accepting new applications.

Resources

• Full text Creating a Sustainable Web of Support for Early Career Teachers: Examining Induction and Mentoring Practices in Washington State – UW – June 2022
• A Review of Best Practices in New Teacher Mentoring
• Examining the Beginning Teacher Workforce in Washington State: An Update with Special Focus on Teachers of Color- June 2020
• Full text Examining Beginning Teacher Retention and Mobility in WA State – UW – May 2017
• Full text Understanding Teacher Retention and Mobility in WA State – UW – January 2017
• Standards for Beginning Principal Induction . See the AWSP Principal Induction Site for more information. 
• Listen to the voices of teachers and mentors in BEST