Supporting New Teacher Development Through a Quality Beginning Teacher Mentor Program

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to evaluate the perceptions of beginning teachers and mentors to improve the components and supports provided to mentees through Birch Lake School District (BLSD) induction and mentoring practices. Qualitative data was collected through transcripts of 5 separate focus group sessions that included 9 mentees and 7 mentors. Quantitative data was collected through a survey that included 10 mentees and 13 mentors. Study results indicated that impactful components revolved around seven key themes: program set-up, materials, collaborative session dates/locations, assignments, activities observational coaching, mentor/mentee meetings/interactions, content of the sessions. Study results indicated that impactful supports revolved around five key themes: stipends, professional development offerings, release time, interactions with mentor(s)/mentees, support from local administration and program coordinators. Overall three recommendations stemmed from these results. The first recommendation includes that survey data on assets and needs is collected from the mentees and mentors prior to the Beginning Teacher Mentor Program (BTMP). The second recommendation is that there is more collaboration between the BTMP coordinators and local building administrators for maximum program effectiveness. The third recommendation supports intentional release time for mentees and mentors to complete assignments and conduct/reflect on observations together. These three recommendations would develop quality components and supports that can maximize the impact that new teachers in the BLSD/BTMP experience