This article examines the types of recurring problems that can inhibit K-12 mentoring team relationships and intervention strategies to remedy those problems. The study examines 149 mentoring teams in four school districts over a 2-year period. Data collection was coordinated by the researcher who was also the trainer for the four school districts’ mentoring programs. Each year of the study, the survey and interview processes were repeated. From the analysis of data, the research team identified a common set of recurring problems during both years. Intervention strategies were then identified, introduced, and assessed. Results indicate the need for continual assessment of mentoring programs and mentoring team relationships, financial commitment from the school district, a rigorous mentor selection process, and providing in-service and workshop opportunities for problem solving.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ArendsR. I. (1998). Teacher induction: Research and examples of contemporary practice. Paper prepared for the Suncoast Academy for Teacher Induction, Pinella County Schools, Largo, FL.
2.
BoreenJ., JohnsonM. K., NidayD., and PottsJ. (2000). Mentoring beginning teachers. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
3.
BrewsterC., and RailsbackJ. (2001). Supporting beginning teachers: How administrators, teachers, and policymakers can help new teachers succeed. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
4.
BrockB. L., and GradyM. L. (1998). Beginning teacher induction programs: The role of the principal. Clearing House, 71, 179—183.
5.
CorleyE. L. (1998, October). First-year teachers, strangers in strange lands. Paper presented at the 1998 annual meeting of the Midwestern Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
DePaulA. (2000). Survival guide for new teachers: How new teachers can work effectively with veteran teachers, parents, principals, and teacher educators. Retrieved October 9, 2001, from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/survivalguide
8.
FullanM., and StiegelbauerS. (1991). The new meaning of educational change (2nd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.
9.
GanserT. (1995, April). A roadmap for designing quality mentoring programs for beginning teachers. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Wisconsin Association for Middle Level Education, Steven Point, WI.
10.
GanserT., BainerD. L., Bendixen-NoeM., BrockB. L., D'Antonio StinsonA., and GiebelhausC.. (1998, October). Critical issues in mentoring and mentoring programs for beginning teachers. Paper presented at the 1998 annual meeting of the Midwestern Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
11.
GayL. R., and AirasianP. (2000). Education research competencies for analysis and application (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Prentice Hall.
12.
GuytonE., and McIntyreD. J. (1990). Student teaching and school experience. In and and HoustonW.R. (Ed.), Handbook of research on teacher education (pp. 514—534). New York: Macmillan.
13.
Huling-AustinL. (1990). Mentoring is squishy business. In BeyT.M., and Thomas HolmesC. (Eds.), Mentoring: Developing successful new teachers (pp. 39—40). Reston, VA: Association of Teacher Educators.
14.
KilburgG. M. (2002). Issues in mentoring from the perspective of the center for excellence in mentoring. Paper presented at the Oregon Association of Teacher Educators Conference 2002, Portland, OR.
15.
KinlawD. C. (1999). Coaching for commitment (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
16.
LathamA., GitomerD., and ZiomekR. (1999). What tests tell us about new teachers. Educational Leadership, 56(18), 23—26.
17.
National Foundation for the Improvement of Education. (1999).Creating a teacher mentoring program. Paper presented at the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education Symposium, Los Angeles, CA.
18.
NewtonA., BergstromK., BrennanN., DunneK., GilbertC., and IbarguenN.. (1994). Mentoring: A resource and training guide for educators. Andover, MA: Regional Laboratory for Educational Improvement.
19.
RoskosK., and BoehlenS. (2001, Winter). Enhancing teachers’ awareness of their instructional talk in the teaching of reading: Differential features of self-assessment. Action in Teacher Education, 22(4), 59—70.
20.
TauerS. (1998). The mentor-protege relationship and its impact on the experienced teacher. Teaching and Teacher Education, 14, 205—218.
21.
VeemanS. (1984). Perceived problems of beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research, 54(2), 143—178.
22.
VillaniS. (2002). Mentoring programs for new teachers: Models of induction and support. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
23.
WeeksD. (1992). The eight essential steps to conflict resolution. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher.
24.
WilsonS. (1997). The use of ethnographic techniques in educational research. Review of Educational Research, 47, 245—266.
25.
YinR. K. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
26.
YinR. K. (1998). The abridged version of case study research: Design and method. In BickmanL., and RogD.J. (Eds.), Handbook of applied social research methods (pp. 229—259). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
