The Great Beginnings program promotes best practices in ongoing assessment to support the development of new teachers in Fairfax County Public Schools. The Great Beginnings program also considers its own impact data on a regular basis.
While FCPS is proud of the feedback which confirms success toward the Great Beginnings vision, we continually commit to ongoing program growth for FCPS teachers and students.
When new teachers were asked if they would recommend the Great Beginnings Summer Institute to new teachers, here is what some folks had to say:
"Definitely! I thought the course was extremely beneficial to help learn the workings of the district and a classroom in general."
"Yes, I believe the Summer Institute to Beginning Teachers is a wonderful program that is practical for new teachers."
"Yes because it gives you the opportunity to meet other teachers who are in a similar position and the institute answers many questions that first year teachers will face."
"Absolutely. The program gave me a lot of ideas for my classroom. The instructors demonstrated many teaching techniques that could be easily incorporated into an elementary classroom. The course gave me some peace of mind and confidence."
More than 87% of new teachers surveyed after one year in the Great Beginnings program shared that not only were the topics appropriate to their needs as new teachers, but that the program also supported their growth as educators as well as the academic growth of the students in their classrooms. Survey data also indicated that ninety percent of teachers in Great Beginnings would recommend the program to their peers.
