ED477728 2002-12-00 Selecting and

Retaining Teacher Mentors. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Development Team

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Selecting and Retaining Teacher Mentors. ERIC Digest.................... 1

RECRUITING AND SELECTING MENTORS..............................2

RETAINING AND COMPENSATING MENTORS......................... 3

REFERENCES.................................................................. 5

ERIC Identifier: ED477728

Publication Date: 2002-12-00

Author: Mullinix, Bonnie B.

Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education Washington DC.

Selecting and Retaining Teacher Mentors. ERIC

Digest.

THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT

ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC

The last decade has produced a great deal of literature and research documenting the

importance of teacher mentors in teacher training and retention programs. This digest

offers some collected wisdom regarding considerations and strategies for selecting and

retaining teacher mentors. Related sub-issues of recruitment and compensation are

also addressed. While presented in a sequential pattern, selection and retention of

mentors are, in reality, integrated features of an on-going and spiraling process.

Mentors continually cycle into and out of teacher education, induction and retention

ED477728 2002-12-00 Selecting and Retaining Teacher Mentors. ERIC Digest. Page 1 of 8
programs. The degree to which these critical participants are meaningfully engaged in

the mentoring process may have a significant impact on a program's success.

RECRUITING AND SELECTING MENTORS

Strategies for recruiting mentors appear to range from opportunistic appointment to

promoting self-nomination to tying mentorship status to a developmental career ladder.

These strategies, buoyed primarily by support, incentives, and compensation

mechanisms, are a less prominently reported thread in the literature than the selection

criteria and desired characteristics for mentor participation in programs; there are fewer

documented articulations of recruitment strategies to draw from than there are selection

strategies.

Various programs identify selection criteria based on their vision of the purposes of

mentoring and the factors they most wish to promote. Feiman-Nemser and Parker

(1992) identified such purposes and associated expectations as including: labor market

improvement strategies (for improving trainees classroom performance and

strengthening commitment to remain in teaching); an institutionalized buddy system (to

provide emotional and material support to decrease isolation of new teachers);

on-the-job training (to introduce curriculum materials, management systems, program

goals, and school culture); collegiality (to encourage reflective practice, action research

and participation in collaborative learning communities); or clinical teacher education

(that focuses on student learning, pedagogical reasoning in connecting practical

clustering based issues to larger social political and moral questions) (p 20-21).

Consideration of special needs and contexts can also influence the approach to

recruiting and selecting mentors. Programs supporting bilingual teachers in the

southwest for example, will have different needs, foci and characteristics for its mentors

than those trying to recruit and retain teachers in the rural Midwest or urban subcultural

settings across the country. Nationwide, programs supporting teacher induction in such

wide-ranging areas as early childhood education (Breunig & Bellm, 1996), special

education (Reid, 1994), integration of technology and assessment (Nichols & Singer,

2000) report on how their strategic use of mentors enhances their programs.

One of the most influential criterions for selection of mentors is their reputation as

effective classroom teachers. Some additional common characteristics of and criteria for

selecting mentor teachers are: a clearly articulated vision of teaching and learning,

knowledge of content, accomplished curriculum developer, professional interests,

expressed educational philosophies, and compatible personalities (1986;

Feiman-Nemser, 1996; Tillman, 2000). Awareness and facility with mentoring processes

are seldom among selection criteria, but are often handled through mentor training

mechanisms.

Orientation of mentors and their inclusion in the participatory design and modification of

mentoring programs can serve as its own recruitment and selection mechanism. Mauer

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Page 2 of 8 ED477728 2002-12-00 Selecting and Retaining Teacher Mentors. ERIC Digest.
and Zimmerman (1996) describe how self-selection of mentors coupled with solid

training and an embedded understanding of Ellen Moir's five phases characterizing

first-year teacher experiences (anticipation, survival, disillusionment, rejuvenation,

reflection) helped veteran teachers and administrators recognize areas that needed to

be addressed in the mentoring process and contributed to the overall success of the

program (Mauer & Zimmerman, 2000).

RETAINING AND COMPENSATING MENTORS

In general, retaining quality teachers within school systems remains the core concern.

In this light, mentoring is perhaps most appropriately perceived as a way to engage,

challenge and retain effective teachers. As practicing teachers, mentors appreciate and

value the opportunities to interact, share their expertise and develop as they support

new teachers (Tillman, 2000). Mentoring can offer teachers the opportunity to shine and

share where they might otherwise hesitate or hide. Innovators isolated in their

classrooms who may appear threatening to their peers, are transformed into

inspirational role models for new teachers and feel appreciated and are renewed

through the process of mentoring. By the same token, when not strategically selected,

mentors can serve to perpetuate stagnant educational approaches, undermined teacher

education, and stifle reform efforts (Feiman-Nemser, 1996). So just as good mentors

should be retained, it is important to evaluate mentor effectiveness and establish clear

and objective criteria for differentially encouraging or discouraging continued

participation of mentors.

Once a mentor has been recruited and identified as effective, however, experts agree

the mentor should be retained. Even so, there is currently little documentation of

strategies utilized to retain mentors. A Mentor Teacher program in Los Angeles

designed to retain capable teachers by expanding their rewards and opportunities,

conceptualized mentors as educational companions and worked to maximize

opportunities for professionally rewarding interactions with colleagues (Feiman-Nemser,

1992). Recognizing the expertise of mentors and acknowledging and compensating

their contribution to professional development of new teachers can go a long way

toward ensuring their retention. If appropriately valued and integrated into administrative

and program structures, mentor retention and advancement can be a natural byproduct

of a teacher mentoring program (Purdue, 1986).

In the last half-decade a significant amount of research has been focused on the

benefits experienced teachers receive from serving as mentors. Best categorized as

professional development, these benefits fall into seven categories: improved

professional competency; reflective practice; professional renewal; psychological

benefits (enhanced self-esteem); collaboration and collegiality; contributions to teacher

leadership; and pedagogical inquiry/teacher research (Huling & Resta, 2001). These

appear to be the key reasons mentors continue to serve in this capacity.

The issue of appropriately matching mentors to proteges is one that often receives

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ED477728 2002-12-00 Selecting and Retaining Teacher Mentors. ERIC Digest. Page 3 of 8
attention as it also can impact retention of both teacher and teacher mentor. This is not

surprising given that mentors can provide the emotional and professional support that

often influences teachers' decisions to remain in the profession. With teachers of color

decreasing in number and leaving the profession early (Lewis, 1996), maximizing

support for this cohort involves integrating strategies for multicultural mentoring

(Rodriguez & Sjostrom, 2000). While there remains disagreement over the advantages

and disadvantages of matching characteristics in mentoring relationships, it has been

noted that the personal relationship at the heart of mentoring can be problematic when

mentor and protege are of different genders, races, or ethnic backgrounds (Kerka,

1998). Where few veteran teachers of color exist, program developers are advised to

consider creating optimal conditions for mentoring rather than trying to promote optimal

matches (Tauer, 1996). Implementing programmatic structures to ensure that mentoring

facilitates professional empowerment and promotes diversity may be a vital key to a

successful program.

On-going training and support designed specifically for mentors often serves as an

important mechanism for retaining mentors. Practical scenarios and strategies shared in

a timely manner can work to increase mentor effectiveness and help to differentiate

between the various roles and responsibilities of mentors. Requirements for mentors

operating within various programs often differ, but generally the distinction between

evaluation, supervision and mentoring are important considerations to understand and

address in training programs. Training that provides experiential orientation to

techniques of observation, consultation, coaching and theories of adult learning help

acquaint mentors with their new roles (Feiman-Nemser, 1996). Periodic workshops

addressing leadership styles, time management and balancing teaching and mentoring

responsibilities as well as sessions that share current research applications can help

support mentor development. Ongoing dialogue groups for mentors also serve as

excellent support mechanisms for collaborative reflection and shared learning regarding

the mentoring process.

While many of the retention strategies highlighted above certainly provide

compensatory support to mentors, compensation is traditionally viewed as financial in

nature. Recognition of the need to restructure compensation programs to reward

teacher knowledge and skill was directly addressed in "What Matters Most: Improving

Teaching and Learning", the 1996 report of the National Commission on Teaching &

America's Future (NCTAF), as it recommended reallocating $10 billion towards such

ends (1996). Mentors represent a vital component of this latent potential for educational

renewal and reform. The February 2001 State Higher Education Executive Officers'

research-based report on teacher recruitment, continues this thread, adding that

compensation of teacher mentors should extend to enabling in-class support of novice

teachers in their initial years of teaching (Hirsch, 2001). Innovative programs in various

states continue to experiment with the most effective combination of incentive and

compensation strategies to complement the inherent benefits of mentoring and

appropriately acknowledge the contributions and efforts of mentors (Ballinger, 2000;

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Page 4 of 8 ED477728 2002-12-00 Selecting and Retaining Teacher Mentors. ERIC Digest.
Carr & Dunne, 1991; Smith, 2000). These authors and others note that compensation of

mentors generally takes the following forms:

* Stipends paid directly to mentors;

* Time--release time for mentoring, observation, in-class support, joint planning and

teaching; additional compensatory personal time;

* Allocations of funds to schools and districts to support associated implementation

costs such as mentor release time, substitutes and travel between schools or even

percentages of augmented mentor salaries;

* Additional classroom assistance and support for teaching and non-teaching

responsibilities;

* Financial support and priority access to professional development in the form of

university courses, training workshops and conferences.

Other non-financial and unplanned outcome compensation cited by the researchers

above include increased involvement in decision-making, increased status and respect

and, longer-term, recruitment into administrative and supervisory positions. Creative

options for additional compensation as well as more careful evaluation of current

strategies are worthy of future exploration.

Mentors may well provide the turnkey to educational renewal and reform. If so, the

attention paid to appropriately structuring programs that support their strategic

recruitment, thoughtful retention, and appropriate compensation will represent time well

spent.

REFERENCES

References identified with an EJ or ED number have been abstracted and are in the

ERIC database. Journal articles (EJ) should be available at most research libraries;

most documents (ED) are available in microfiche collections at more than 900 locations.

Documents can also be ordered through the ERIC Document Reproduction Service:

(800) 443-ERIC.

Ballinger, J. (2000). Programs aim to stop teacher washout. Journal of Staff

Development, 21(2), 28-33.

Breunig, G. S., & Bellm, D. (1996). Early childhood mentoring programs: A survey of

community initiatives. Washington, DC: National Center for the Early Childhood Work

Force.

Carr, J. C., & Dunne, K. (1991). The New Hampshire Mentor Project: Bridging the gap

between concept and application. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the

ERIC Resource Center www.eric.ed.gov

ED477728 2002-12-00 Selecting and Retaining Teacher Mentors. ERIC Digest. Page 5 of 8
National Council of States on Inservice Education (16th, November 21-26, 1991),

Houston, TX.

Darling-Hammond, L. (1996). The quiet revolution: Rethinking teacher development.

Educational Leadership, 53(4), 4-10.

Feiman-Nemser, S. (1996). Teacher mentoring: A critical review. ERIC Digests.

Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education. ED 397

060

Feiman-Nemser, S., & Parker, M. B. (1992). Los Angeles mentors: Local guides or

educational companions? East Lansing, MI: National Center for Research on Teacher

Learning. ED 350 301

Foote, M., & Walker, C. (1998). Mentor teachers: professional development resulting

from work with preservice teachers. Catalyst for Change, 27(3), 5-7.

Fox, J. E., & Certo, J. (1999). Recruiting and retaining teachers: A review of the

literature. Richmond, VA: Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium. ED 446 076

Hirsch, E. (2001). Teacher recruitment: Staffing classrooms with quality teachers.

Denver, CO: State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO). ED 453 199

Huling, L., & Resta, V. (2001). Teacher mentoring as professional development. ERIC

Digests. Washington, D.C.: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education.

Kerka, S. (1998). New perspectives on mentoring. ERIC Digests. Columbus, OH: ERIC

Clearinghouse on Adult Career and Vocational Education. ED 418 249

Lewis, M. S. (1996). Supply and demand of teachers of color. ERIC Digests.

Washington, D.C.: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education. ED 390

875

Mauer, E., & Zimmerman, E. (2000). Mentoring new teachers. Principal, 79(3), 26-8.

National Commission on Teaching & America's Future. (1996). What matters most:

Improving teaching and learning. New York: Author.

Nichols, B. W., & Singer, K. P. (2000). Developing data mentors. Educational

Leadership, 57(5), 34-7.

Purdue, P. (1986). Teacher mentoring. ERIC Digests. Washington, DC: ERIC

Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education. ED 271 447

Reid, B. J. Ed. (1994). Small special education teacher preparation programs:

www.eric.ed.gov ERIC Custom Transformations Team

Page 6 of 8 ED477728 2002-12-00 Selecting and Retaining Teacher Mentors. ERIC Digest.
Innovative programming and solutions to problems in higher education. Reston VA:

Small Special Education Programs Caucus, Teacher Education Division of the Council

for Exceptional Children. ED 377 669

Rodriguez, Y. E., & Sjostrom, B. R. (2000). Faculty of color in teacher education: A

multicultural approach to mentoring for retention, 2000 and beyond. Paper presented at

the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

(52nd, Chicago, IL, February 26-29, 2000). ED 440 076

Smith, C. L. (2000). Focus on legislation affecting teachers in SREB states. Atlanta GA:

Southern Regional Education Board. ED 444 961

Tauer, S. M. (1996). The mentor-protege relationship and its effect on the experienced

teacher. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research

Association (New York, NY, April 8-12, 1996). ED 397 004.

Tillman, B. A. (2000). Quiet leadership: Informal mentoring of beginning teachers.

Momentum, 31(1), 24-6.

Wise, A. E. (1999). A hard-won system begins to pay off. Education Week, 19 May

1999, 68.

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This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U. S.

Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, under

contract number ED-99-CO-0007. The content of this publication does not necessarily

reflect the views of or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of

trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U. S.

Government.

Title: Selecting and Retaining Teacher Mentors. ERIC Digest.

Note: Contains small print.

Document Type: Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs)

(071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073);

Available From: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education, American

Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, 1307 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite

300, Washington, DC 20005-4701. Tel: 202-293-2450; Tel: 800-822-9229 (Toll Free);

Fax: 202-457-8095; e-mail: query@aacte.org; Web site: http://www.ericsp.org.

Descriptors: Beginning Teacher Induction, Beginning Teachers, Elementary

Secondary Education, Mentors, Teacher Collaboration, Teacher Persistence

Identifiers: ERIC Digests

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