“Person to person, moment to moment, as we love, we change the world.”
~Samahria Lyte Kaufman

Six Essential Elements of a Highly Effective Induction Program

A highly competitive selection process.

In the first cohort, over 300 teachers applied for 12 full-time mentoring positions, insuring that we were able to select "the best of the best." Mentors were recruited using a clearly articulated, open process involving stakeholders from the site, district administrators and human resource personnel, former or current mentors, and university personnel.  The process included both a written component and a panel interview.

High quality training.

Summer Orientation: The Center for Teacher Leadership supports our mentors with an orientation to their role and foundational mentor training before beginning their work with new teachers in Year One.

Santa Cruz Mentor Training: A well-defined mentor training curriculum is provided in nine full days of Year One training and twelve full days of additional training in Year Two.

Summer Seminar: A week-long Summer Seminar in Year Two provides ongoing training, the opportunity for individual and program goal setting, and a time of professional renewal.

Ongoing professional support.

Friday Forum: Mentors participate in a learning community called Friday Forum that supports their practice and their use of formative assessment tools and mentor protocols.  Mentor accountability is enhanced in this supportive environment and through weekly reflective logs.  Friday Forums strengthen mentor skills and advance induction practices including:

• building trust with beginning teachers
• understanding professional standards
• providing support for implementing formative assessment tools
• differentiating instruction
• promoting equity
• focusing work on standards-based education
• working with special populations
• honing mentors' emerging leadership skills
• promoting collegial support for challenging issues

Coaching Partners: Working cross-district, coaching partners provide unique opportunities for collecting and analyzing data of mentor practice in a supportive collegial setting.

Time to coach.

Mentors also need time to coach--spending from one to two hours a week with each beginning teacher--with the focus on improving instruction.  Mentors may:

• use formative assessment tools to gather data of practice
• meet one-on-one with the beginning teacher to share and analyze data, celebrate successes, brainstorm solutions, and to design lessons
• co-teach or model instruction
• provide ongoing new teacher professional development

Formative assessment tools.

The New Teacher Center Formative Assessment System includes a set of mentoring tools and protocols to guide the mentor and beginning teacher in gathering and analyzing data of practice in order to improve classroom instruction and student achievement.

Mentors and teachers engage in an ongoing cycle of inquiry, collaboratively analyzing data and setting goals to improve new teacher practice.

Standards, both content and professional, serve as framework, providing a focus for the work of both mentor and beginning teacher.

Confidentiality.

A strong, trusting relationship is a critical element in a successful collaborative partnership, allowing the mentor and new teacher to focus on advancing the classroom teacher's practice and improving student achievement.

Although there is a clear demarcation between formative assessment and evaluation, our mentors maintain strong working relationships with administrators.  Mentors work to support the instructional priorities of each school and district while maintaining a confidential relationship with the beginning teacher.  Confidentiality is key to the success of the mentor-beginning teacher relationship, ensuring that the new teacher may share any issue of practice without fear of judgement and will be willing to take risks that promote growth. The Beginning Teacher Triangle of Support provides a visual synopsis of these roles.