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Full-Text Articles in Education
The Relationship Between A University-Based Mentorship Program And First-Year Teachers’ Performance, Alicia C. Stapp, Laura F. Prior, Catherine Harmon
The Relationship Between A University-Based Mentorship Program And First-Year Teachers’ Performance, Alicia C. Stapp, Laura F. Prior, Catherine Harmon
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
Teacher attrition affects both the stability and quality of schools. Nearly 24% of teachers leave after one year, 33% leave after three years, and 40-50% leave within their first five years (Geiger & Pivovarova, 2018). Effective mentorship programs can effectively assist teachers in overcoming the challenges that lead to resignation. This study implemented a teacher mentorship program where the mentor was a teacher educator who had worked with the mentees in their undergraduate program. Utilizing a qualitative approach, the study examined first-year teachers’ performance through monthly field observations, interviews, and self-reflections. Themes emerged that are critical to a first-year teacher’s …
Creating Conditions For Strong Mentoring, Melanie S. Pavao
Creating Conditions For Strong Mentoring, Melanie S. Pavao
Northwest Journal of Teacher Education
In this article, the author identifies best practices for mentor selection, pairing, education and implementation of mentoring programs for new teachers in schools. These best practices include careful selection of mentors with strong communication and collaborative skills, mindful matching of mentor to mentee, mentor education that includes a focus on reflective practices and strategies to deal with philosophical differences between the mentor and mentee, and release time and financial incentives for mentors to new teachers. Then, the author compares this research to current state mentoring policies, noting that while in many states a lack of structural and financial supports for …