Save the Teachers: Mentoring Plans for New Teachers

What's the number one way to support students at struggling schools? I'm sure you can think of many answers to this question, but I think one of the best ways to support students is to support new teachers with effective mentoring programs. Mentoring programs should be established to provide new teachers with a strong foundation and support system as they learn the art and science of teaching. According to The New Teacher Project, the way to close achievement gap is to recruit, train, and retain effective teachers in high needs schools. They propose that helping new teachers with instructional design and delivery in addition to classroom management and cultural issues is the key to success. The New Teacher Project believes that new teachers should be provided with mentoring and professional development in the following areas:

• Setting Rigorous Academic Goals
• Use of Appropriate Assessments
• Creating Standard-Based Lesson and Units
• Applying Differentiated Instruction
• Use of High Impact Teaching Strategies
• Addressing Misbehavior Effectively
• Using Diversity to Promote Achievement
• Developing Rules, Procedures and Consequence
• Effecting Change in the Classroom as a Newcomer

New Teacher's have different needs than more established teachers. They can benefit from the following supports:

• How to plan and support students learning by establishing routines and procedure for the beginning of the school year
• How to manage and organize the classroom
• Help with becoming familiar with the curriculum and State and Common Core State Standards
• How to assess student learning, and plan instruction based on students' needs. 
• How to differentiate instruction bases on students' learning needs

Here are some steps your school can take to establish a mentoring program:

Establish time for Mentoring:

• Mentors should visit new teachers two times per week in order to plan lessons and/or model lessons and conference with them.
• Mentoring should occur during the normal school day
• Mentors and teachers can communicate via email during the days when the mentor is not onsite or available for in-class debriefing
• Mentors should observe the teachers, discuss both areas of strength and areas in need of improvements during one-to-one conferences.

Mentor Matches

• Choose the mentor based on his/her expertise in literacy, math, science, social studies, classroom management techniques or more subgroup specific expertise such as English Language Learners or Student with Disabilities.
• The mentor should provide ongoing support of the new teacher, and keep a log of their interactions and meetings.

Beyond Mentoring (Additional School-Based Support)

• Assign new teachers to work with grade level or subject area leaders to discuss school policies and procedures.
• Inter-visitations can be arranged for the new teachers to see best practices delivered by his/her colleagues.
• Ongoing needs-based professional development should be provided to support teachers in their content areas.

Evaluation

• Establish a Mentoring Committee to discuss improving the tenets of the program as well as to discuss results of implementation on an on-going basis.
• Collect data that will highlight the impact of mentoring on student achievement.
• School administrators should analyze the effectiveness of the mentoring program  through formal and informal observations of new teachers.

Teaching is a very difficult job and the best way to improve teacher retention and improve student achievement is to support our new teachers with an effective mentoring program that will provide our newest teaching professionals with as much support as possible. 

10 Truths about Parent Involvement

10. Successful parent involvement nurtures relationships and partnerships. It strengthens bonds between home and school, parent and educator, parent and school and parent and community.

• What steps has your school community taken to gauge the success of your bonds with the parent/care-giver community?

9. Any parent can be "hard to reach". Parents must be identified and approached individually; they are not defined by gender, ethnicity, family situation, education or income.

• Do you differentiate your approach to parent outreach or utilize a "one-size-fits-all" strategy?

8. Most barriers to parent involvement are found within school practices. They are not found within parents?

• Is your current approach working? When was the last time you surveyed parents to find out how they want you to include them? What about their schedule?
  
• Have you made accommodations to have workshops for parents at non-traditional times? (during the school day, after school, during the summer break, early mornings, or evenings after 5pm?)

7. Parents' interactions with their own children is the cornerstone of parent involvement. A program must recognize the value, diversity, and difficulty of this role.

• How does your school track parent-to-child involvement? Are there family literacy nights? Homework sheets and book logs that require parent signatures?
• Have you celebrated moments of small success?

6. Parent involvement requires a vision, policy and framework. A consensus of understanding is important.

• Has your school memorialized what parent involvement looks like, sounds like, and feels like in your community? Has this message been drafted with the support of parents?
• Has this message been communicated to parents at PTA meetings, schools newsletters, teacher conferences, etc?

5. Parent involvement is a process, not a program of activities, It requires ongoing energy and effect.

• Does your school have a Parent Coordinator or someone else in an official capacity dedicated to coordinating and serving the needs of your families?
• Have you created a rubric of what successful parent involvement looks like at your school?
• What are your next steps?

4. Parent involvement must be a legitimate element of education. It deserves equal emphasis with elements such as program improvement and evaluation.

• Have you posted your parent involvement goals publicly? Are small milestones celebrated and communicated on a regular basis?

3. The parent is the central contributor to a child's education. Schools can either co-op that role or recognize the potential of the parent.

• How will you help parents learn meaningful ways to connect with their child's school outside of Parent-Teacher conference night, back to school night, and graduation?

2. The home is one of the several spheres that simultaneously influence a child. The school must work with other spheres for the child's benefit, not push them apart.

• As educators, we often encounter behaviors from our students that are less than acceptable. How can you reinforce positive behavior without putting down a particular parents style of parenting. Everyone has the right to raise their child in the way they see fit so long as the methods are legal. When you encounter a child who says "my mom lets me do it" - exercise sensitivity with your response. Be firm and let students know the code of conduct, without putting down the parent. This may also be an indication that parents need training or awareness about the school's code of conduct.
• Have you provided parents with an opportunity to respond or influence the school's code of conduct or do you simply send home a note and ask parent's to "sign and return" ?

1. ALL PARENTS have hopes and dreams for their children. They differ in how they support their children's effort to achieve these goals.

• Do you believe that all parents have dreams for the children, regardless of their situation, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or socioeconomic status?
• Have you asked parents about their hopes and dreams for their children? Why or why not?
  

The same way it's important for teachers to BELIEVE that ALL CHILDREN can learn, we must also believe that ALL parents want a better life for their children.

When we operate from that framework, we are open to the infinite possibilities of utilizing parent involvement as a tool for increasing student achievement.

What do you believe?

Parent Involvement: An Essential Ingredient in The Formula for Student Success!

Most educators will tell you that the only time they see parents is during “parent-teacher conference nights”. In fact, the higher the grade students are in, the less likely you are to see parents. Is this an indication of parental apathy or do parents feel unwelcome in today's public schools?

In my experience, many parents are too busy working to provide for their families, but make an honest attempt to play a role in their child's education. However, I am also aware that far too many parents don't feel welcome in their school community. School leaders have a responsibility to welcome and honor parents as part of the educational process. Parents must be given opportunities to serve the school community in a variety of ways (bake sales, school improvement plans, and curriculum reviews).

When parents are able to contribute to the school mission and vision, they are more likely to support school improvement efforts and provide the political clout that school leaders need to make bold changes in the curriculum and instructional process. School leaders have an obligation to include parents as collaborators within the community to assist with partnerships in order to strengthen programs, family practices, and student learning. When you include parents in the process, they feel welcome and are more likely to claim ownership in the school’s success or failure.

Here are some practical ways to boost parent involvement at all educational levels:

1) Make a commitment to involving parents during the decision making process. Parents hate to be told "after the fact". If your school is aiming to make big changes, make sure the committee that explore these options have parents on board.

2) Increase communication frequency and improve parent outreach methods. Don't wait until Parent-Teachers conference night to give parents an update on their child's academic performance. Utilize technology to provide parents with updates on their child's latest academic process (ie: performance on interim assessments, quizzes, tests, etc...). If you have a large Spanish-speaking population, or some other language, provide school newsletters and all important communications in their native language. Also, if possible have translators on-hand to help with communication during conferences and parents meetings.

3) Acknowledge the gifts and talents of parents. Hold award ceremonies or find a place in the school entrance to celebrate the contributions of parents. Make sure that when they walk in the school, they feel embraced and part of the learning community. All major initiatives should have parent input during the planning and implementation process.

4) Ensure that teachers communicate with parents about the home-school connection. If your school uses thematic units, teachers should write home to parents to tell them how to connect and practice what is being learned in school at home. Show parents how to provide a rich learning environment at home to support their child's academic achievement.


The bottom line is that healthy schools have good communication with parents and caregivers. When schools get serious about stepping up parent involvement and, if necessary, change attitudes towards parent involvement, student achievement will increase. There is a connection between healthy families, healthy kids, and healthy schools. Let's connect the dots and get to work by making progress each and every day towards improving parent involvement.