The teacher-mentor program in some New York City elementary schools

The hypothesis of this study was that the original goals of the mentor program as set down by the New York State Education Department and the New York City Board of Education had been implemented. This study examined one facet of the mentor program, namely, whether some beginning teachers perceived that their mentors were of assistance in implementing the goals of the program. The following questions relating to the goals of the program were addressed: (1) What were the perceptions of teachers concerning their training in classroom management skills? (2) What were the perceptions of teachers concerning their training in skills for imparting knowledge in curriculum areas before and after the training program? (3) What were the perceptions of teachers concerning their training in relationships with administrators and other staff-development personnel. (4) How did the training program affect teachers\u27 views of nonachieving students, nonconforming behavior patterns, exceptional and gifted students, and average achievers? A questionnaire (using a 4-point scale) was developed by the researcher to find out perceptions about the training first-year teachers received during the teacher-mentor program as related to the goals of the program. The goals of the program included: classroom management, classroom instruction curricula, interpersonal relationships, needs of children, record-keeping, and other written procedures. After an analysis of the data, using a 4-point scale, an average score, a median score, and a percentage distribution, conclusions were drawn. The teacher-mentor program proved to be more successful in lesson-planning techniques, teaching strategies, handling of instructional materials, and child-child relationships. This is not to say the program was an overall success, but mentors performed better in the aforementioned areas than elsewhere. Very little help or virtually no help was given in the areas of classroom management, interpersonal relationships, meeting special needs of students, and record-keeping techniques. Comparisons with other research in the field were discussed and an analysis made. Some conclusions and recommendations drawn were that some beginning teachers were rarely consulted about their needs, more teacher input was essential, a good teacher\u27s self-image could eliminate the skepticism of teachers, additional funds were necessary so that the mentors and interns could plan and evaluate, the selection of mentors should be further scrutinized so that the appropriate mentors\u27 skills can be realized, and future studies, using a larger population sample, should be conducted so that all the concerns discussed in the dissertation can be addressed