April 24th, 2012 Debrief on Meeting about 2012-2013

Well... what a day! Shortly after packing up over 400 ACT tests, I rushed over to meet some of my new colleagues who will support my New Teacher Induction program. Two participants in the meeting are members of Blueprint -- what an exciting experience to work with educational leaders who are driven by data, have knowledge of best practice, and strive to do whatever it takes close the achievement gap! I felt I was the in the presence of two people who truly believe in the hard work they are doing and encouraging of the schools they supervise.

As we concluded our brainstrom, one of the Denver Public Schools district representitives said, "You know what... we've always tried to meet new teachers needs-- ELA, classroom management, cooperative learning, and the list goes on. But, we have never quite hit it right on. The truth is, the most crucial thing is that new teachers have good mentors."


I could not be more excited to hear this comment! YES I thought. That's excatly right... not only do we need to select the people to mentor-- we need to provide mentors with SUPPORT! As I meet with principals from the nine schools in the DSSN network, I will be sure to stress the value of selecting mentors who are "in it to win it" with their mentee. However, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, it's vital that site leaders understand the importance of mentors too. In schools of innovation and turnaround, like those in the DSSN network, there is NO wiggle room to have poor teacher retention. This is exactly the point I will make next month as I meet with administrators.

1 Week & Counting...

Here we are with one BIG week ahead... a week of editing, revising, rereading, peer conferencing, and rereading again. I find it hard to focus because I am SO excited about my most recent action steps that will come to fruition from my research! After recently meeting with district personnel, I will prepare to present my next steps to the principals in my network.

Although "the end" feels so near... the data collection will never stop! The first thing I will do when meeting with school leadership is Collect Data!!!

So What?

Now What?

 Drum roll...

*Research Findings*

Finding #1

Mentors need clear roles that meet the needs of their school and include the following expectations:

1. Mentors must value the relationship by setting up regular meetings.
2. Mentors must be given segments of release time to participate in classroom observations of or with their mentee.
3. Mentors must be proactive when it comes to instruction, school procedures, and emotional support instead of waiting to do damage control.

Finding #2

Mentors must be given professional development in mentoring, which as a result, will improve their teaching practice:

1. Asking reflective questions  & know why it is valuable.
2. Professional development on empathy and resilience
3. Growth in how to be proactive to support a first year teacher by knowing the Phases of a First Year Teacher.

Finding #3

Mentors should participate in an ongoing cohort with other mentors to further develop their practice, troubleshoot, and develop mentoring skills.