Some Teacher Mentoring Resources
New Teachers
OnLine -- An excellent resource for new teachers and their mentors and
supporters from the Teachers Network.
A Package
of Mentoring Articles and Resources -- 
"Edutopia"
-- an on-line magazine published by the George Lucas Education Foundation
-- explores mentoring "as a key professional relationship." Some
excellent resources. You can download the Spring 1999 issue on mentoring
at this page. Also, GLEF now has a full section on mentoring at its website.
Go to this page on "Skillful
Teaching" and find the "Mentoring" link.
The
Good Mentor -- As formal mentoring programs gain popularity, the need
for identifying and preparing good mentors grows, says James Rowley in this
May 1999 article in Educational Leadership, which identifies six qualities
of good mentors.
The
Best Practices of Mentors -- This article from ASCD's Classroom Leadership
Online (May 2001) describes the findings of a study of teacher mentoring
in the Baltimore County (Md.) Public Schools.
Teaching
Worth Celebrating -- Most teachers do not demonstrate the full range
of teaching skills and strategies, teacher researcher Pat Wasley writes,
"not because they don't want to, but because they have limited images
of good teaching." This article looks at mentoring and other strategies
that can help insure continuous professional growth. (Educational Leadership,
May 1999 - part of a special issue on "Supporting
New Teachers".)
"How
to Help Beginning Teachers Succeed" -- Second edition of a popular
book published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
(ASCD). By Stephen P. Gordon and Susan Maxey. "Provides clear steps
to creating an effective Beginning Teacher Assistance Program, with new
tips on using mentors, providing ongoing assistance, and inducting veteran
teachers who are new to your school."
Mentoring:
Research and Resources -- This article from the May 2001 issue of Educational
Leadership describes current research on teacher mentoring.
Mentoring
the Mentor -- 
Subtitled, "A Challenge for
Staff Development," this article in the Journal of Staff Development
(Fall 1996) notes that despite a long mentoring tradition in education,
"there is still a lack of information about what defines a successful
mentoring program and how staff development contributes to the process."
Also see: "The
Mettle of a Mentor: What It Takes to Make This Relationship Work for All."
Mentoring
Resources from the NSDC Library -- A collection of articles from the
publications of the National Staff Development Council. Also see the library
collection about teacher
learning communities.
A MiddleWeb Listserv
Discussion about Supporting New Teachers -- The discussion began when
one teacher asked: "How do we support new teachers? I'd like to start
a New Teacher Academy--not retired teachers, but teachers who would like
to share their thoughts about the real world. Is this feasible?"
"Easing
the Way for New Teachers" -- How can schools support novice educators
so they not only survive, but thrive?, asks this article in Educational
Leadership (February 1998). "Julia Archer was elated when she accepted
her first job teaching social studies at Whitman Middle School. She had
just completed a graduate-level teacher preparation program at a prestigious
university, and she was eager to make a difference with students as a permanent
staff member...(but) nothing in her teacher preparation program, including
her one-year internship at another school, had prepared Julia for the isolation
she would experience during her first months at Whitman."
Teachers Get Help From a "Guide
on the Side" -- In an effort to get more teachers on board the
"standards train," the Long Beach (CA) Unified School District
sent a cadre of teacher coaches into the field during the 1998-99 school
year. The talented teachers -- and the district -- learned a lot from the
first year of this promising but challenging program. (from Changing
Schools in Long Beach, Fall 1999). Also see these related features:
Sandy's Coaching Journal and
Shelley's Coaching Journal.
Team
Mentoring of New Teachers -- Through reciprocal, collegial teaming,
new teachers can get valuable mentor support while experienced teachers
can share the responsibility and support one another in the process, says
this teacher/principal in Classroom Leadership Online (May 1999).
Teacher
Research on Effective Mentoring -- The Teacher's Network offers a selection
of research articles by teachers that explore teacher preparation and new
teacher induction. Also see the section on research about ongoing
professional growth and peer coaching.
Mentoring
Models for New Urban Teachers -- Consensus is growing that few parts
of a teacher's development continuum are as important as the induction years.
"Learning the Ropes: Urban Teacher Induction Programs and Practices
in the United States" reports the findings of a national study of how
large urban school districts -- many dealing with issues of teacher shortage,
inadequate training, and high turnover -- are meeting the needs of teachers
during the first three years in the classroom. From Recruiting New Teachers,
Inc. Read the Introduction, download
free executive summary and order the entire study at the website.
A
Guide to Developing Teacher Induction Programs (PDF File) -- Build an
effective teacher support and assessment program that will help you keep
teachers. Download this toolkit from Recruiting New Teachers, Inc.(PDF Format).
Mentor
Teacher Handbook -- "A book of practical ideas about mentoring,
directed towards the teaching profession." Complete text on-line. Explores
the variety of mentor
roles, mentor selection,
productive mentor relationships,
professional
development needs, styles
and strategies, and "the risks
and joys."
The author focuses the discussion on "the individualized support, assistance,
guidance and optimum amount of challenge which one professional gives to
another - whether newcomer or mid-careerist in the profession." (Posted
at the University of California-Irvine Graduate School of Education website._
The
Mentor Center -- Information about mentoring and induction programs
across the United States. This
page includes nearly four dozen mentoring categories. Major resource.
Is
a good teacher always a good mentor? -- "Being a good teacher does
not automatically mean one will be a good mentor; working with adults is
not the same as working with children. It is imperative that those responsible
for working with adults be aware of the special characteristics of adult
learners." From the Journal of the Mentoring Leadership and Resource
Network (Winter 1997).
Peer
Coaching for Improvement of Teaching and Learning -- "This report
focused on teachers and the quality of teaching as the core of student performance.
New curriculum, standards, resources/materials, assessments, methodologies,
technology, and reforms will not and do not have much impact unless teachers
have appropriate access, knowledge, skills and continuous learning opportunities.
Teachers require time for reflection, mentoring relationships, collegial
interaction, expert role models, and ongoing professional development for
any of these changes to be effective." (from the Teachers Network)
Policies
to Enable Teacher Collaboration -- This paper, developed for TeachNet
by a NYC teacher, looks at "the historical context, or lack of, for
teacher collaboration" and examines practices and policies that support
and hinder teacher collaboration.
Mentoring
the student teacher -- A veteran mentor shares her strategies, drawn
from research and her own experiences. One technique: keeping a reflective
journal during the student-teaching experience. ("Classroom Leadership
OnLine," ASCD, May 1999)
Mentoring
for teachers: The collaborative approach -- Summarizes an article by
the same name. At the Pathways to School Improvement website. This topic
page includes a bibliography.
What
makes a good graduate-student mentor? -- This thoughtful list of the
characteristics of a good mentor draws on the experience of two university
administrators responsible for selecting graduate school professors for
an "outstanding mentor" award. Many of the characteristics described
here certainly apply to teacher mentors in the public schools.
What
kind of person is a mentor? -- This list of the characteristics of a
good mentor was developed for adult-youth programs but many of the qualities
described apply to adult mentoring relationships as well. Also visit the
Mentor 2000 homepage.
Critical Friends
Groups -- MiddleWeb teacher diarist Deb Bambino discusses CFGs.
New-teacher columns by
Harry Wong -- In these articles at the online Teachers.Net Gazette,
new-teacher expert Harry Wong, author of the bestselling The First Days
of School, advises inexperienced teachers to move on if "the elements
for your support and ultimate success in the classroom were not in place
in your school or district." Wong describes the elements of quality
induction programs and offers several examples."What
Successful New Teachers Are Taught," March 2001, and "How
to Recognize Where You Want to Be," April 2001. Also see their
story about a school district that has an almost 100 percent retention
rate! (May 2002) You can find links to all Wong columns by looking at the
bottom of the most recent one.
Boston's
teacher coaching model -- In schools all over Boston, change coaches
and content coaches are offering principals and teachers the kind of professional
development that research says is most effective: ongoing, in school, high
quality, focused on instruction. Ellen Guiney provides the details. "Coaching
Isn't Just for Athletes: The Role of Teacher Leaders," Phi Delta
KAPPAN (June 2001).
"Mentoring
Can't Do It All" -- New teachers need more than the assignment
of a token mentor, says first-year expert Harry Wong. "If all it takes
for a new teacher to succeed is to be given a mentor, then why do we need
staff developers and administrators, or their respective organizations for
that matter?" Education Week (August 8, 2001).
A
Leader's Guide to Mentor Training -- This venerable guide from one
of the federally supported education research labs describes a 30-hour training
organized into seven modules: preparing mentors for work with beginning
teachers; orientation to the mentor role; assisting new teachers; classroom
organization and management for new teachers; classroom consultation, observation,
and coaching; mentor as staff developer - presentations and in-service training;
and cooperation between the administrator and the mentor. Handouts and transparencies
are included in the guide, as well as a reference and resource section.
WestEd (1990) Also see: The
Mentor Teacher Casebook ; Mentoring:
A Resource and Training Guide for Educators, and Designing
Programs for New Teachers.
Mentoring
beginning teachers (PDF File) -- This online research paper examines
the mentor-mentee experiences of experienced and beginning teachers. Among
its conclusions: "Mentors could provide the model by showing how their
struggles to overcome the dilemmas of their practicescould result in worthwhile
experiences in which they study and learn about teaching over time.""Adolescent
Dancing And The Mentoring Of Beginning Teachers," by Michelle B. Parker.
Available as a downloadable PDF file.
Leading
the Teacher Mentoring/Induction Program -- This book by consultant
Barry Sweney comes recommended by teacher quality guru Linda Darling-Hammond.
Skylight Professional Development Books (2000). Also see the mentoring
information at this website.
Keeping
New Teachers -- The beginning was awful, Laura recalled, describing
her first days of teaching science in an inner-city middle school. It's
not that she began with high expectations for professional support: "I
assumed that the teachers would be unsupportive, sort of that sink-or-swim
mentality. . . . I assumed that I was all on my own, and that it was me
or nothing." Yet she was still surprised by the lack of organized induction.
So were many others surveyed in this study by Harvard's Project on the Next
Generation of Teachers. The research reveals the importance of site-based,
ongoing, rich teacher collaboration across experience levels for effective
new teacher induction. (Educational Leadership, March 2002)A
Better Beginning: Supporting and Mentoring New Teachers -- Excerpts
from the 1999 book of essays, published by ASCD.Designing
New Teacher Support (PDF File)-- A third of beginning teachers quit
within their first three years on the job, notes this valuable policy brief
from WestEd, "Lifelines to the Classroom: Designing Support for Beginning
Teachers." What does it take to adequately support novice teachers?
What lifelines can we offer so they will remain in the profession and develop
into highly effective classroom educators? (Small, easily downloadable PDF
file.)A
Guide to Developing Teacher Induction Programs (PDF File) -- This
publication from Recruiting New Teachers, Inc. (2001) offers a toolkit of
resources and model program that can help schools and school systems build
an effective teacher support and assessment program. (Download the guide
in PDF format or order for $24.95 at the RNT
website.)Middle
grades certification program -- California State University-San Marcos's
innovative middle grades certification program breaks down stereotypes and
prepares new teachers for challenges of middle school. "New Teachers
Learn How to Reach Middle-Schoolers," San Diego Union-Tribune (June
28, 2001).Policy
Statement on Middle Grades Teacher Certification -- The National Forum
to Acclerate Middle-Grades Reform has released its policy statement on teacher
preparation, licensure and recruitment. The statement calls for the specialized
preparation of middle-grades educators at both the pre-service and graduate
levels, and it describes the essential elements of a middle-level teacher
preparation program. It also makes a strong case for mandating that teachers
who teach at the middle level hold a middle-level teaching certificate.
View the statement and supporting resources at this link, including a "tool
for advocates" -- a comprehensive list of commonly heard arguments
against specialized teacher preparation and their corresponding counter-arguments.Good
induction programs can resolve teacher shortages (PDF File) -- Richard
Ingersoll, one of the nation's leading researchers on issues of teacher
quality, supply and attrition, offers the modest proposal that the best
way to solve the teacher shortage is to strengthen support for beginning
teachers and reduce their dropout rate. His careful analysis points to key
flaws in school district recruitment and induction programs that drive teachers
from the profession. "A Different Approach to Solving the Teacher Shortage
Problem," CTP Teaching Quality Policy Brief (#3), Center for
the Study of Teaching and Policy, University of Washington, January 2001.
(Downloadable PDF file.)District
Policies and Beginning Teachers (PDF File) -- What role do district
policies play in the lives of beginning teachers? These researchers followed
10 teachers from their final year of teacher education into their first
three years of teaching. In this paper, they examine the role of curriculum,
professional development, and mentoring policies in shaping the experiences
of three first-year language arts teachers. Read District Policy and
Beginning Teachers: Where the Twain Shall Meet, downloadable in PDF
format from the Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy, University
of Washington (2001).Quality
Teachers: Can Incentive Policies Make a Difference? -- This report from
the Southern Regional Education Board looks beyond incentive policies to
report on startling data about teacher turnover rates in the first few years
of teaching -- and what some states are doing to address the problem.Linking
Retention and School-Based Support -- Staff from Harvard's Project
on the Next Generation of Teachers describe research suggesting that the
key to addressing teacher shortages lies not in attractive recruitment policies
but in support and training for new teachers at the school site. "Retaining
the Next Generation of Teachers: The Importance of School-Based Support."
(Harvard Education Letter, July/August 2001)Reduce
Your New Teacher Losses -- School districts need to pay as much
attention to teacher retention as they do to teacher recruitment, says the
Southern Regional Education Board in this report on teacher induction in
the Southeast. The report describes key reasons why new teachers abandon
the profession in the first five years and describes steps districts and
schools can take to make good on their teacher recruitment investments.
"Reduce Your Losses: Help New Teachers Become Veteran Teachers."
( June 2001)Administrators
are responsible for new teachers -- Written for California administrators,
the central message of this article applies to school leaders across the
USA: "We have an obligation to do all that is in our power to insure
that new teachers are successful in meeting the needs of their students,
and that those who are competent remain in the profession."Supporting
New Teachers: A Fundamental Responsibility." The New Teacher Center.
University of California at Santa Cruz.Middle
school recruitment and retention -- "New Teacher Staffing and Comprehensive
Middle School Reform: Philadelphia's Experience," examines the problem
of teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention in the context of schoolwide
reform in seven of Philadelphia's 42 middle schools. Philadelphia Education
Fund (2000).Baltimore's
New Teacher Institute -- The New Teacher Training Institute is a voluntary
four-week summer program for newly hired teachers in Baltimore, Maryland.
The institute provides hands-on lessons and much-needed support for new
teachers. Story and additional resources. Education World (2000)Connecticut's
model teacher policy (PDF File) -- Connecticut's comprehensive approach
to teacher development includes the Beginning Educator Support and Training
Program (BEST), a oft-cited national model of teacher induction. This overview
of Connecticut's experience includes a description of BEST's evolution toward
performance-based assessment of beginning teachers, supported by a structured
mentoring program and a year-long seminar for first- and second-year professionals.
Downloadable PDF file. CTP Teaching Quality Policy Brief (#4), Center
for the Study of Teaching and Policy, University of Washington, June 2001.Urban
partnerships to support new teachers -- This handbook, drawn
from the experiences of "Pathways" programs supported by the DeWitt
Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, reviews requirements for building essential,
ongoing partnerships between teacher education institutions and school districts.
Ahead of the Class: Preparing New Teachers from New Sources. The
Urban Institute (February 2001)A
model school-based mentoring program -- Montview Elementary School in
Aurora, CO, a winner in the National Awards Program for Model Professional
Development, has "teacher-leaders" who coach both novice and seasoned
teachers. School officials estimate the program costs $50,000 per year,
but credit it for big gains in student scores on district assessments and
for nearly eliminating achievement gaps between white and non-white students.The Southeast
Center for Teaching Quality -- Resources about teacher quality, mentoring,
hard-to-staff schools, and quality induction programs.