El Dorado School District plans for new teacher success with mentorship, trianing program
It’s a challenge school districts across the country are facing: retaining teachers and making sure new teachers, who often didn't follow traditional paths to the classroom, get up to speed.
It’s a challenge that the El Dorado School District has decided to meet head-on, partnering with the California-based New Teacher Center to establish a training and mentoring program to give new teachers a leg up.
Superintendent Jim Tucker said the district hires about 50 new teachers a year — not an overwhelming number for the one of the county’s largest employers — and, increasingly, teaching candidates across the country are entering the profession without traditional classroom experience.
“We began thinking about what we could do to get those teachers to become the best they can be,” Tucker said. “We started looking at programs across the country, and New Teachers Center interested me. That’s who we’re partnering with for, not just one year, but for many years.”
The program is designed to train experienced teachers who can, in turn, provide intentional mentorship to new teachers. Stephanie Lowrey is the program’s director, and she said the program is more than just the standard “buddy system.”
“The mentors are going through extensive professional development,” she said. “They had their first two-day training already, and that will happen three more times this year. We also have times when we get together, called forums, where we talk about any obstacles we have, and anything I see as I’m observing mentors.
“It’s very intentional, and very instructionally based. NTC is providing the tools and training for our mentors.”
Tucker noted that the system is an innovative one, and one he thinks should be the standard in the state. The program has another intentional side effect: improving teacher retention.
“New teachers need to gain confidence in the classroom,” he said. “They need to become comfortable with what they’re doing. If they know they’re becoming a good teacher and making a difference, that’s where retention comes. A lot of teachers leave the profession across the country because they don’t feel like they’re gaining the skills they need, like they have the support they need.
“Most teachers don’t hit their stride until their fourth or fifth year.”
The system has teachers think critically about all aspects of their work.
“One of the aspects mentors will engage new teachers in conversations about is lesson planning,” Lowrey said. “Not just what activities are you doing, the time frame, but also about how the lesson addresses standards we’ve set in place. Do all the tasks you’re putting into the lesson apply to this standard?
“They’ll analyze student work together, to think about why some work exceed expectations and so on. Engaging them in this deep thinking about the important decisions they make as a teacher.”
NTC has a track record of improving student performance, Lowrey noted. A third-party evaluation of the system found that students in classrooms of teachers supported by the mentoring program achieve two-to-four months more in one school year, and make two-to-five month gains in math.
It’s a program El Dorado is committed to. New teachers will go
"If they know they’re becoming a good teacher and making a difference, that’s where retention comes. A lot of teachers leave the profession across the country because they don’t feel like they’re gaining the skills they need, like they have the support they need."
— Jim Tucker, El Dorado Superintendent On the purpose of the new mentorship program
go through two years of mentorship and then a third year the district is still mapping out.
“We’re all in,” Tucker said, adding the program impacts teachers K-through-12.
Lowrey noted that the 46 mentor teachers are excited about the program as well.
“We met with all of them throughout June and July, and really enjoyed talking to them,” she said. “I came away thinking we have some really excellent people in our district, and some really exciting things happening on every campus. They see the need to support new teachers — they remember how overwhelming their first years were — and they’re excited about the development they’re going through.”
Of course, the end goal for the district it to provide the best educational experience for its students.
“We want students to have high achievement in the classroom,” Tucker said. “We want them to be inspired, to feel good about what they’re doing, to have confidence and achieve at the highest level they can.”
For more information, visit www.eldoradopublicschools.org. Download the El Dorado School District app at Google Play or the iTunes App Store to stay up to date; All schools are active on Facebook.