Beginning Teacher Mentoring Program

The Beginning Teacher Mentoring Program is one of five objectives of the META Teacher Development and Retention Project overseen by the Center for Teacher Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Beginning teachers enter the classroom filled with excitement and a strong desire to help their students achieve at high levels. Too often, these teachers encounter unexpected challenges that seem overwhelming, and this has led to 30%-50% (nationally) of all beginning teachers leaving the classroom within the first five years.

To address high teacher attrition, The Center for Teacher Leadership and four metro-Richmond school divisions are piloting the Santa Cruz induction model that provides beginning teachers with an intensive mentoring experience. The beginning teachers in high-need schools are provided an exemplary veteran teacher who is fully released from the classroom for two years to serve as their Beginning Teacher Advisor (mentor). Our ultimate goal is to help beginning teachers thrive, instead of survive, during their first year of teaching.

• Learn more about our Beginning Teacher Mentoring Program

• Why Santa Cruz?
• Comparison of Traditional Mentoring Model and Santa Cruz Model
• Teacher Magazine Highlights CTL Mentoring Program
• Chronicles of a First Year Induction Program - Presented at Feb 2007 New Teacher Center Symposium
• Frequently Asked Questions About the Model

• From the Beginning Teacher’s Perspective
• From the Beginning Teacher Advisor’s (mentor) Perspective
• From the Building Administrator’s Perspective

• Learn about how we train and support our mentors

• Intensive Santa Cruz Training
• Friday Mentor Forums

• Sample Agenda

• BTA Coordinator Role
• Congratulations to our 2007 – 2009 Beginning Teacher Advisors!

Learn more about the Santa Cruz New Teacher Project

• Contact Us About our Mentoring Program!
  
  
  
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