By Associated Press
Montgomery, AL – Governor Riley's Commission on Quality Teaching presented him with its first recommendations Tuesday. The commission -- headed by former National Teacher of Year Betsy Rogers -- recommended that new teachers be assigned mentors. Rogers says half of the new teachers leave the profession within the first five years, and mentors would help reduce that. The commission also proposed a pilot program on incentive pay for teachers, starting in schools where it is hard to recruit teachers. The commission also recommended changes in the way teachers are taught in college, including more classroom experience and more follow-up to inform colleges about the progress of the teachers they graduate. Riley says mentoring and incentive pay should become part of Alabama's schools because they are used successfully by many corporations. But he says it's too early to say which of the recommendations he will present to the Legislature next year.