School Notes 101

When new teachers begin their teaching careers in Boundary County School District, they are paired with trained mentors — experienced teachers who meet with them on a regular basis.

Throughout the first two years of their careers, their mentors help guide them, building self-reflective practice and giving them support in their chosen and challenging profession.

Three years ago, the Idaho State Board of Education extended an invitation to school districts across the state to become involved in a series of New Teacher Mentor Academies being offered in conjunction with the New Teacher Center out of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Boundary County School District was one of 14 districts that embraced the offer. The district began supporting its new-to-profession teachers using the formative assessment system developed by NTC.

The guiding principles of the NTC program are:

• A period of teacher induction is important for all new teachers.

• New teachers benefit from opportunities to collaborate with veteran colleagues.

• The needs of beginning teachers are different from those of veteran teachers.

• The relationship between the new teacher and the mentor is key to the success of the induction program (and the mentor).

• New teacher support and assistance must be tailored to the assessed needs of the individual teacher.

Research studies have shown that providing new teachers with a trained mentor significantly increases teacher retention, advances teaching practice and results in positive academic gains for students.

BCSD 101 began the program in November 2005 with eight mentors working with nine new teachers. This year, there are 10 active mentors mentoring 20 new teachers.

A mentor is provided for all new teachers in the first and second years of their teaching career, as required by the Idaho State Board of Education. A third year of mentoring is offered upon request from either the new teacher or the building principal.

BCSD’s mentors are full-time classroom teachers, usually mentoring new teachers in their respective buildings, who have come forward to take on this important role. At the end of each year, the new teachers are asked for feedback regarding their mentoring experiences.

That feedback, combined with the observations of the mentors themselves, determines steps to improve the program.

Last summer, mentors decided to prepare a New Teacher Information Packet that was sent to new hirees to help acquaint them with the school district, along with a welcome letter, some initial teaching supplies, and gifts and certificates from local businesses.

The State Board of Education requires that districts provide mentoring for new-to-profession teachers, but does not provide any funding for the undertaking. To fund its program, BCSD 101 has relied on the use of Title V-A, Improving Teacher Effectiveness funds, supplemented by district professional development funds.

The school district is dedicated to recruiting and retaining quality teachers for our students and feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to connect to a mentoring program that has enjoyed success in states throughout the nation.

Brenda Walter is curriculum director-testing coordinator for Boundary County School District.