Mentoring Program - Texas Center For Educator Excellence

Lauren Monroe

“Partnering with TxCEE has encouraged and provided more support to our mentors than our previous training provider. We greatly enjoy that in person training is offered, rather than 18+ hours of virtual training only. The training handouts are also well designed and colorful with meaningful charts and graphics to organize information. Our previous provider only utilized black and white docs that were lengthy and difficult to read. They also answer questions about MPA and provided an administrator training that was very helpful.”

Lauren Monroe, New Teacher Mentor Program Coordinator, Chapel Hill ISD

Becky Day

We believe the assistance we received from TxCEE has been a valuable experience. I’ve received nothing but positive feedback from my teachers who are new mentor trainees.

Becky Day, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Coordinator & District Mentor Coordinator, Diboll ISD

Alicia Bolt

Our charter organization has had the pleasure of collaborating with TxCEE on mentoring support services, and we wholeheartedly recommend their services to any district in need of mentoring and induction support. We were particularly impressed by TxCEE's professionalism and extensive knowledge of the mentoring and induction process.

Alicia Bolt, Regional Associate Superintendent, Jubilee Academies

Courtney Tucker

I truly appreciate having a mentor of my own through TxCEE to help me grow my skills in coaching. It has been so impactful for me to have someone to bounce ideas off of and to make sure I am on the right track so that I can ensure my teachers are successful.

Courtney Tucker, Mentor - South San Antonio ISD 2024

Danyale Pace

Mentoring and coaching has impacted me by giving me more of a sense of purpose in my role as an educator. I've spent the last years impacting the lives of students. Now I have the opportunity to impact the lives of adults. It may seem like a small thing or a tedious task, but in reality, growing other teachers can indirectly grow our campus. I am very on board with growing our school community.

Danyale Pace - Mentor, Lancaster ISD 2024

April Torres

Mentoring has changed my perspective on how to support others. In the past, when a teacher would ask for help, I would tell them what I would do and what I found successful. Sometimes, it was helpful for them and sometimes it wasn’t. At the time, I failed to realize that my methods and strategies did not always work for others because each teacher has their own style, knowledge, and experiences. Mentoring is about guiding teachers on finding strategies and methods that fits their situation, their needs and their students’ needs.

April Torres, Mentor - South San Antonio ISD 2024

SSAISD Mentor

The TxCEE Mentoring Program provided an organized pathway for mentoring. This was my second time to Mentor a teacher. TxCEE’s pathway made it easier for me. My first time as a Mentor, I had no guidance.

South San Antonio Mentor - EOY Survey 2024

MPA Can Provide $2000 Annually per Beginning Teacher for 3 Years

Teacher turnover rates have reached alarming levels.Schools serving a greater proportion of economically disadvantaged students saw 29% of their teachers leave between October 2022 and October 2023. Meanwhile, schools with lower poverty levels reported a 19% turnover rate. These higher turnover rates, particularly in underfunded schools, exacerbate the challenge of maintaining experienced, effective educators in classrooms (“Examining School-Level…”, 2024).

Strong mentoring programs play a crucial role in retaining new teachers. Mentoring support in the first few years, especially from mentors who teach the same subject, greatly increases the likelihood of teachers staying in the profession. Specific practices, such as regular feedback on instructional methods and classroom management, were shown to increase retention into both the second and fifth years of teaching (Foster, 2022).

This combination of supportive mentorship and stable working conditions is crucial to addressing the ongoing teacher turnover crisis, especially in schools with the highest need.
500,000+ teachers have left the profession since the pandemic, driven by burnout and low compensation (Jotkoff, 2022).44% of public schools report having full or part-time teaching vacancies due to resignations and staffing shortages (Dill, 2022).

Mentoring is a proven retention tool and the Texas Center for Educator Excellence (TxCEE) is a TEA approved provider of mentoring system implementation.
The TxCEE Mentoring Program’s goal is to provide training and support to Mentor Teachers so they are equipped to support your novice teachers. We give them systems and tools and also build their skills while helping them to incorporate your district priorities and practices into their work.
The Mentor Program Allotment application is now open and can be submitted through November 15th.

Statistics/Evidence of Impact

Over the last five years, Mentor Teachers indicated that TxCEE’s support was relevant and timely and prepared them to serve in their roles. During this same time, beginning teachers indicated that their Mentor Teacher provided them similar support and supported their overall well-being.

We could do the same for beginning teachers based on these findings.

TxCEE has engaged in studying the impact of our mentor program design and implementation to ensure fidelity and quality outcomes. According to surveys, participants value the activities and content provided by the program. In particular, our two MPA partner districts indicated higher satisfaction with The TxCEE Mentor Program than MPA districts working with other state technical assistance providers.

The TxCEE Mentoring Program

The Texas Center for Educator Excellence (TxCEE) provides systems solutions by educators; for district and campus leaders as well as the mentor teachers. Unless you’ve been a successful educator, it is really hard to understand the challenges and needs of educational professionals.

The TxCEE Mentoring Program provides training and coaching to mentor teachers who then in turn provide one-on-one support to beginning teachers that is unique to their experiences in teaching,which can come in the form of planning, observing, modeling, or guiding reflection. Mentor teachers engage in TxCEE’s structure of professional learning network with their peers. TxCEE mentoring empowers the mentor teacher with the knowledge and training needed to provide beginning teachers with intensive and individualized coaching, mentoring, and support. To ensure ongoing learning, mentors engage in ongoing professional learning networks with their peers that utilize TxCEE’s structure for collaborative learning communities.

The TxCEE Mentoring Program incorporates a Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS) using research based strategies. This includes foundational training, one-on-one individualized coaching, job shadowing, monthly newsletters, feedback/reflection sessions, and virtual learning communities. Training begins with building district and campus leader understanding of the model and the principal-mentor relationships as well as the mentor selection and assignment process. Training continues for mentors at their Summer Institute where they engage in practicing the strategies and protocols they will use with their beginning teachers. Monthly, mentors will receive additional training through virtual sessions designed to build their knowledge and skills to support their beginning teachers in applying effective instructional practices. For leaders, five sessions focused on the leader competencies will provide support for building, supporting, and refining the mentor program.

Training, coaching, and support focus on building efficacy in beginning teachers by listening and communicating rather than simply giving advice or sharing expertise (Bryk et al., 2015; Costa & Garmston, 2016; Knight, 2011; Robbins, 2015). This allows for differentiated, sustained learning for mentor and beginning teachers, especially when provided with greater frequency and length of contact (Humphrey et al., 2011; Ingersoll & Strong, 2011). Mentors receive regular support from TxCEE that models the support they provide to their beginning teachers. This includes coaching that is aligned to goals they set based on TxCEE’s Mentor Teacher Success Indicators.

Through TxCEE’s ongoing support for leaders, we are able to build capacity and the ability for districts to support their mentoring program beyond the MPA grant.

Contact us for more details

References

Bryk, A. S., Gomez, L., Grunow, A., & LeMahieu, P. (2015). Learning to improve: How America’s schools can get better at getting better. Harvard Education Publishing.

Costa, A. L., & Garmston, R. J. (2016). Cognitive Coaching: Developing self-directed leaders and learners (3rd Ed.). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Dill, K. (2022). School’s out for summer and many teachers are calling it quits. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/schools-out-for-summer-and-many-teachers-are-calling-it-quits-11655732689

Examining school-level teacher turnover trends from 2021 to 2023: A new angle on a pervasive issue. (2024). Retrieved from https://www.erstrategies.org/tap/teacher-turnover-trends-analysis/

Foster, E. (2022). Study explores mentoring’s connection to new teacher retention. Retrieved from https://learningforward.org/journal/nurturing-new-teachers/study-explores-mentorings-connection-to-new-teacher-retention/

Humphrey, D. C., Koppich, J. E., Bland, A., & Bosetti, K. R. (2011). Peer review: Getting serious about teacher support and evaluation. Menlo Park, CA: SRI International & J. Koppich & Associates.

Ingersoll, R. M., & Strong, M. (2011). The impact of induction and mentoring programs for beginning teachers: A critical review of the research. Review of Educational Research, 81(2), 201–233.

Jotkoff, E. (2022). NEA survey: Massive staff shortages in schools leading to educator burnout; alarming number of educators indicating they plan to leave profession. Retrieved from https://www.nea.org/about-nea/media-center/press-releases/nea-survey-massive-staff-shortages-schools-leading-educator-burnout-alarming-number-educators

Knight, J. (2011). What good coaches do. Educational Leadership, 69(2), 18-22.

Moir, E. (1999). The stages of a teacher’s first year, In Sherer, M. (Ed). Better beginnings: Supporting and mentoring new teachers. ASCD, 19-23.

Robbins, P. (2015). Peer coaching to enrich professional practice, school culture, and student learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Sanders, W., & Rivers, J. (1996). Cumulative and residual effects of teachers on future student academic achievement Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Value-Added Research and Assessment Center. Retrieved from http://www.bulldogcia.com/Documents/Bulldog_CIA/Articles/sanders_rivers.pdf

Scharton, H. (2018, February 20). Taking on teacher attrition. School News retrieved from https://www.eschoolnews.com/2018/02/20/taking-teacher-attrition/

Sherman, R., Tibbetts, J., Dobbins, D., & Weidler, D. (2001). Management competencies and sample indicators for the improvement of adult education programs. Building Professional Development Partnerships for Adult EducatorsProject. Washington, DC: Pelavin Research Institute.