Alabama Teacher Mentoring

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Alabama Teacher Mentoring

• Building Bridgesto Best Practice The
  Principals Role

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Mentoring Matters. . .

• Often, the only person who knows a beginning
  teacher is falling through the cracks is the
  teacher him/herself.David Pearson, Michigan
  State University

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Mentoring Matters in Alabama!

• Beginning in the 2007-08 school year, every new
  teacher will be assigned a mentor teacher.
• Systems and schools that have established
  mentoring programs will proceed as planned.
• Systems that have not previously had resources
  for mentoring will select mentors by the end of
  August.

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Background and Guidelines for the Alabama
Teacher Mentoring (ATM)

• Statewide program recommended by the Governors
  Commission on Quality Teaching (GCQT)
• Mentor stipends (1,000 per new teacher) funded
  by Alabama Legislature for the 2007-08 school
  year
• Guidelines created by the ALSDE
• Training and support from the ALSDE and Regional
  Inservice Centers (RICs)

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Purpose of Alabama Teacher Mentoring

• Provide every beginning teacher in Alabama with a
  well-trained, effective mentor who will
• Provide beginning-of-year induction into the
  school and systems culture
• Deliver ongoing coaching and support
• classroom coaching and assistance to maximize
  the learning and achievement of all students
• personal support to the new teacher during their
  transition into the profession

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Expected Benefits

• Improved learning of all students
• Increased retention of effective new teachers
• Reduced replacement costs
• Leadership and professional growth opportunity
  for mentors
• Enhanced school culture

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Mentor Compensation

• Mentors will receive a stipend of 1,000 per year
  for each new teacher mentored.
• The Education Budget calls for mentors to be paid
  in up to two payments however, the SDE hopes to
  pay all mentors in one payment.

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Mentoring Matters

• New teacher mentoring is NOT a new idea,
• BUT weve learned a lot about best practices in
  mentoring in recent years
• AND there are new tools and strategies to assist
  mentors.

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You, the Principal, are Vital to the Success of
ATM

• As principal, you set expectations for mentors
  and beginning teachers and their interactions.
• New teachers perceive building principals to be
  the vital link in their success. Danin Bacon

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Principals Leadership RoleSetting the Stage
for Effective Mentoring

• Communicate the purposes of Alabama Teacher
  Mentoring to all.
• Ensure fairness and quality in mentor selection
• Arrange good matches between beginning teachers
  and mentors.
• Support mentor training

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Communicate ATMs Purposes to All

• Use the PowerPoint presentation and related
  materials to present to your faculty
• Talk with parents and the community about
  potential benefits

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Ensure Quality and Fairness in Mentor Selection

• If you have not already selected mentors, use the
  tools developed by the GCQT Mentoring Committee
  to guide the process
• Job Description for Mentor Teachers
• Rubric for Mentor Selection

Care in selection of mentors is key to the
success of a mentoring program.
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Attributes of Effective Mentors

• Possess knowledge, skills, and dispositions
  needed to support new teachers effectiveness
  with all learners
• Have a strong commitment to the mentoring process

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Recommended MentorQualifications

• Knowledge, Skills, and Disposition
• Professional collaborative working relationships
  with colleagues
• Personal strong communication and
  relationship-building skills
• Instructional success in differentiating
  instruction to reach all students
• Commitment to Mentoring
• Enthusiasm for the process
• Willingness to dedicate time and effort

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Arrange good matches between beginning teachers
and mentors.

• Professional considerations
• Same school, when possible
• Similar teaching assignment, i.e., same grade
  level or subject area
• Common planning period
• Personal
• Consider personalities, e.g. introvert/extrovert,
  learning style
• Sensitivity to age differential (e.g., you may
  not want to match a young mentor with a
  mid-career beginning teacher)

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Research reports that . . .

• A mentorship agreement is based on how well the
  mentor and the mentee match in such factors as
  commitment, accessibility, and teaching
  assignment.Danin and Bacon. p. 207.

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Support quality trainingfor all mentors.

• Work with central office and designated mentor
  liaison in scheduling of training.
• The SDE and RIC will provide train-the- trainer
  experience to your central office liaison who
  will arrange training for all mentors in your
  system

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Mentor Training

• Begins in August and occurs throughout the school
  year
• Is job-embedded and designed to be in sync with
  the rhythm of the school year
• Is aligned with the new Alabama Quality Teaching
  Standards (adopted by ALSBE in 3/07)

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Mentor Training

• School systems that have comprehensive mentor
  training programs in place may continue to
  deliver these.
• School systems that do not have comprehensive
  mentor training programs should plan to
  participate in the state-sponsored
  train-the-trainer program.
• All mentors participate in comprehensive
  training.

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Mentor Training

• Train-the-trainer modules provided by the ALSDE
• Regional Inservice Centers deliver
  training-for-trainers to school systems mentor
  liaison (appointed by local superintendent to
  coordinate ATM within the system)
• Mentor liaison responsible for training all
  mentors

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Principals Leadership RoleSupporting the Cast

• Develop a supportive relationship with mentors
  and new teachers
• Assign beginning teachers a doable work load
• Schedule time for mentor and beginning teacher to
  meet weekly
• Respect the confidentiality of the mentor-mentee
  relationship

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Develop Supportive Relationships
Beginning Teacher/Mentee
Principal
Mentor
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Assign beginning teachers a doable workload.

• One of the conundrums of our profession is that
  we often assign new teachers the most challenging
  situations a high percentage of students with
  diverse learning and emotional needs the least
  desirable schedules inadequate classrooms and
  materials and the largest number of class
  preparations. Administrators must be vigilant
  about safeguarding new teachers from these
  especially difficult assignments during the first
  three years. Villani, p. 22.

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Schedule time for mentors and mentees to meet
weekly.

• School principals should help create time for
  mentors and mentees to work at least once a week.
• Researchers recommend a minimum average of 2.5
  contact hours per week between the mentor and
  mentee. The time may vary from week to week, but
  weekly contact is critical.

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Respect the confidentiality of the
mentor-beginning teacher relationship.

• Talk to mentor and beginning teacher together
  about the need for this confidentiality
• Do not ask mentor for evaluative information
• Model trust, respect, and confidentiality

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Principals Role Contributing
to Encore Performances

• Create a school culture that supports the
  mentoring process
• Help mentors and beginning teachers understand
  the role of formative feedback in the mentoring
  process
• Ensure that all parties complete the program
  assessments requested by the ALSDE

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Create a school culture that supports the
mentoring process

• Focus on students and their learning
• Encourage collaboration
• Model learning yourself, and support learning for
  all students
• Develop a sense of collective responsibility for
  the learning of all studentsand for the success
  of all beginning teachers

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Help mentors and beginning teachers understand
the role of formative feedback in the mentoring
process

• Mentor teachers provide beginning teachers with
  ongoing, formative feedback.
• The Continuum for Learning and Performance, a
  tool to help teachers understand the Alabama
  Quality Teaching Standards, will provide
  framework for the feedback.
• Mentors should not be involved in formal
  evaluation of new teachers.
• Confidentiality between mentor liaison, mentor,
  and mentee is essential.

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Ensure that all parties complete the program
assessments requested by the ALSDE

• LEAs will be asked to provide baseline data.
• Throughout the year, the SDE will ask
  participants to assess services for purposes of
  continuous improvement.
• The anonymity of all participants in the program
  assessment will be ensured.
• Evaluation of the ATM will enable improvement
  and, is essential for continued funding.

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What if your school already has a successful
mentoring program?

• Move on with your program!
• Use training and follow-up support from the ALSDE
  to enhance your local program, as appropriate.
• Build on your successes!

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What if your school does not have a mentoring
program in place?

• Use materials and training provided by the ALSDE
  and RICs.
• Mentors should be matched with beginning teachers
  no later than the end of August, 2007.

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Together we can . . .

• Create an effective network of services and
  support for Alabamas beginning teachers
• Enhance beginning teachers effectiveness with
  all of their students
• Make a difference in the lives of students of
  beginning teachers
• Contribute to the future of our profession

Alabama Teacher Mentoring
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Alabama Teacher Mentoring

• Building Bridges to Best Practice