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provided to the female NEST participants in hopes of empowering and encouraging
them. A+PEL motivates teachers by attending NEST meetings and giving monetary
donations as well as providing them with lunch. The objective is to surround the new
teachers with layers of support to ensure they have not only material resources but
also human resources to call upon when needed.

Goals, Resources, and Outcomes
Goals
Wong and Wong (2018) stated, “Effective schools have a culture where they
consistently invest in teacher capital” (p. 315). The goal of the NEST program is
to improve the quality of education for students within the district by investing in
teacher capital. Provided with a systematic structure of support, new teachers can
enter their classrooms with the confidence, knowledge, materials, and skills they
need to provide their students with a valuable
learning experience.

Resources The goal of the NEST program
Through the ESI grant, the CPSD
provides the NEST participants with binders is to improve the quality of
that contain a plethora of information, such
as copies of each presentation given at the education for students within the
NEST meetings and copies of The First Days
of School: How to be an Effective Teacher district by investing in teacher
(Wong & Wong, 2018). Teachers also receive capital.
stipends for attending the NEST meetings, and
the NTE grant provides stipends for travel as
well as covers the cost of registration fees for
regional training and online training for both
NEST participants and mentors. The Beta Chi Chapter provides NEST participants
with materials and supplies as well as flyers containing information on how to
join DKG. A+PEL provides resources, such as door prizes, lunch for the meetings,
materials, and monetary donations.

Outcomes
The students in the CPSD benefit when their teachers are prepared to teach,
and the NEST program directly impacts the teachers’ abilities to do so. According
to survey feedback, teachers leave the meetings with positive attitudes, increased
teacher self-efficacy, the skills needed to teach effectively, and the assurance
that information shared within the program remains confidential. The CPSD is
fostering a network of teachers and leaders by creating a professional learning
community of collaboration through the NEST program. Teacher retention in the
CPSD has remained the same over the years, and Beta Chi Chapter membership
has increased slightly because of the program. By investing in the NEST program
for new teachers, the CPSD is cultivating a district-wide growth mindset that
ultimately leads to a successful learning experience for the students.

References
Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom’s taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching.
https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy

Educators’ Choice 9