Teacher onboarding: the first 30 days at a new school
5 min read · 7/2/2026 · Editorial Desk
Day 1–7: Systems, not slides
Give access to the LMS, gradebook, attendance app, and parent-comms tool on day one. Pair with a subject mentor who owns week-1 questions.
Day 8–21: Shadow + co-teach
Shadow the outgoing teacher (or the coordinator) for two classes, then co-teach two, then solo teach with the mentor observing.
Day 22–30: First feedback loop
30-minute structured check-in with the coordinator: what's working, what's blocked, one thing to change next month. Log it.
Metrics that matter
90-day retention, first-30-day parent complaints, and mentor-hours logged. If mentor hours are zero, the onboarding did not happen.