1yr.
Most teacher attrition happens in the first five years, and the first year sets the trajectory. It’s the highest-leverage moment in a teaching career.
The Clock Institute is a San Diego nonprofit. We mentor educators across their careers and connect them with the schools and leaders who hire them. Our first program pairs new teachers with experienced instructional leaders — lead teachers, coaches, and principals — for a year of real mentorship: phone calls, dinners, the practical kind of help.
See the program →New teachers usually get a binder, a few orientation days, and a wish of luck. Almost half of them leave within five years.
We think the first year is where careers are made or lost. So we built a program around what actually helps — a mentor who answers the phone, a small group of peers, a year of honest conversation.
We measure ourselves on retention, not attendance. The question isn’t whether teachers showed up to an event — it’s whether they’re still teaching three years from now.
Most teacher attrition happens in the first five years, and the first year sets the trajectory. It’s the highest-leverage moment in a teaching career.
Twenty years of teaching is roughly six hundred students. We’re not running an event — we’re trying to keep a generation of good teachers in the classroom.
If you’re a funder, a district leader, or an experienced educator who would mentor — we’d like to talk.
Partner with us →