Impacting New Teacher Development through Mentorship
By Kelly Gallagher Nick, Director of Teacher Effectiveness
LA Small Schools Center
“Center X brilliantly set up a partnership that allowed for a mutually rewarding experience where my apprentice and I developed a relationship built on trust, respect, and inspiration.” - Mentor Lernik Baghoomian,
Early Childhood Educator
“Seeing the apprentices gain confidence and develop as teachers has left me feeling as though I actively participated in starting ‘ripples of hope’ that will resonate in Los Angeles communities for years to come. I am quite confident in their abilities and feel that they will be able to make a difference.”
- Mentor Marine Yanikian, Elementary Educator
IMPACT (Inspiring Minds through a Professional Alliance of Community Teachers) is an innovative 18-month urban teacher residency program, supported through a partnership between UCLA Center X TEP, the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Small Schools Center, and funded by a federal Teacher Quality Partnership grant. The goal of IMPACT is to improve the quality of teaching and learning in urban schools by developing a network of community teachers and teacher leaders working in the high-need subject areas of math, science, and early childhood education. In return for a stipend, participants agree to teach in a high-needs school for a minimum of three years after graduation.
Unlike more traditional teacher education programs, IMPACT apprentice teachers gain the majority of their educational experience under the guidance of a carefully selected mentor teacher in their content area to co-plan, co- teach, and gradually assume responsibility for their own classes. The role of the mentor is critical and IMPACT takes great care in the recruitment, selection, training, and support of the mentor teachers. Principals of participating schools are asked to recommend teachers who are strong in both content and pedagogy, and have demonstrated an aptitude as teacher leaders. These recommended teachers are then invited to interview for the mentor position. After attending small group interviews, teachers who demonstrate an aptitude for working with adults and reflect a social justice orientation are observed by IMPACT staff in their classroom. Candidates are evaluated on criteria, including subject matter competency and classroom culture and management. Teachers who score well on the observation rubric are then invited to attend Summer Orientation, during which they are acquainted with the program expectations and given a foundation in mentoring. All IMPACT mentors receive training in Cognitive CoachingSM in order to improve their coaching and communication skills. Mentors and apprentices are given an opportunity to meet one another during orientation week and to request matches they feel might be most productive. Faculty advisors and IMPACT staff determine final match-ups, and the pairs begin work together prior to the beginning of the school year. This allows apprentices to be involved in setting a classroom culture from the beginning, which serves them well when they begin teaching in their own classrooms the following year.
Throughout the school year, mentors attend monthly professional learning opportunities facilitated by IMPACT staff. Topics include co-planning, co-teaching models, providing observational feedback, and making classroom practice intentional and transparent. Mentors and apprentices also attend quarterly professional learning opportunities together that connect the coursework of the apprentice and the support and pedagogy of the mentor. Through this robust support, we hope to create teacher leaders who can guide our apprentices to develop best practices for their own teaching. A $750 quarterly stipend is provided as partial compensation for their time investment.
Although the program is relatively new and still developing, mentors are reporting positive experiences. First time mentor, Lernik Baghoomian, put it this way, “Center X skillfully provided me with the proper tools and support I needed to feel very successful in my mentorship role. I also appreciated that the expectations of me were in line with our own teacher philosophies: know what we're doing; know why we're doing it; and be able to tell someone about it.” Second year mentor and Science teacher, Anat Herzog, agrees, “As an IMPACT mentor I have seen firsthand the power of collaboration. Working with someone engrossed in growth reminds me to prioritize the process of lifelong learning. I am thankful for the positive impact participating in this program has had on my ability to manifest my goals as a social justice educator.”
Mentors grow along with their apprentices, and ultimately isn’t that what a community of lifelong learners is all about?
