When adopting a teacher mentor or support program, the first issue that arises is time. For support programs to work, beginning teachers and their mentors need time, especially during the school day, to reflect on their practices.

The second major issue is capacity - does the school or district have the capacity in terms of the amount of mentors needed and the support structure for those mentors to provide adequate support to the beginning teacher.

The third issue is what procedures and practices to mandate. The pair must be able to find a balance between structured and informal support to the beginning teacher.

Mentoring/induction programs can be a positive force in developing skills and supporting beginning teachers. They can also have advantages for the mentor teacher and for the program. An effective induction program is designed to:

• Improve the teaching performance of beginning teachers while providing on-going support and assistance
• Increase the retention of promising beginning teachers during the induction years
• Promote the personal and professional well-being of teachers by fostering each teacher's self-esteem and orienting him/her to the culture of the workplace.

There numerous models and approaches to designing a mentor or teacher support program. Click here to view a selection of mentoring resources.

Goals of some existing programs include:

• improving the teaching performance of new teachers by providing them with on-going support in order to raise student achievement
• retaining high quality teachers within the profession
• promoting professionalism of new teachers
• providing opportunities for exemplary teachers to mentor new teachers as part of their ongoing professional developement
• providing skills and strategies to new teachers to increase their effectiveness in teaching a diverse range of students.
• assisting new teachers in meeting state licensing standards.

While establishing a mentor program for your school or district, think about the following guidelines:

• Basic requirements and organization - Some districts like to maintain a mentor pool and train mentors throughout the year so they can match them with newly hired personnel immediately, others conduct training in the summer.
• Number of contact hours - (Generally there is an expectation of at least 60-90 hours of contact per school year). Determine whether your program will go through the entire induction period of three years.
• Needs assessment - Use a formal needs assessment or informal discussion to determine the beginning teacher's specific needs and goals for the program.
• Action or research/inquiry plan - State clear objectives and strategies to be used:
  1. What types of observation will take place
  2. What type of feedback is desired
  3. What type of support will be provided
• Structure - Develop a structure where meeting times, observations, and in-services can take place throughout the mentoring process.
• Feedback - Provide feedback to the mentoring pair along with having them provide feedback on their progress and evaluation of how the program is going.

• Attributes of Mentors
• Responsibilities that Mentors assume
• Criteria for the selection of mentors