Mentors Make It Happen! Mentor Institute July 14, 2014

Objectives To reiterate the vision of the KCS Mentor Program To discuss the program’s alignment to “Excellence for Every Child” To outline Lead Mentor/Mentor duties, forms, and budget To develop a building-level program through exposure to mentoring strategies –Core Mentor Team Handbook –Instructional Rounds/Learning Walks

Materials Check Institute Agenda Blue Core Mentor Manual, Tan Folder with School Name Breakfast (in the back) Don’t forget to sign in! Don’t forget to sign up for break-out sessions!

Institute Agenda 8:15-8:30Breakfast 8:30-10:00Kick-off Session 10:00-10:10Break 10:10-11:00Break-out Session #1 11:05-11:55Break-out Session #2 12:00-1:15Lunch (on your own) 1:15-2:05Break-out Session #3 2:10-3:00Speed Sharing Session 3:05-3:55Mentor Team Planning 3:55-4:00Closing

Meet Your Presenters! Shannon Suddath, KCS District Lead Teacher Valeta Norris, Central High School Tami Luttrell, Farragut Primary June Frear, Farragut Primary Melanie Mascaro, South-Doyle Middle Kim Davis Blackerby, South-Doyle Middle Kim Longmire, Powell Elementary Mary Smythe, Hardin Valley Elementary Beth Lackey, Green Magnet Academy David Combs, Hardin Valley Academy Julie Thompson, KCS Elementary Supervisor Theresa Nixon, KCS Director of Instructional Technology

Meet Your Speed Sharers! Polly Justus, Farragut Primary Sarah Post, Amherst Elementary Jennie Williams, Cedar Bluff Elementary Conni Durfee, Karns Elementary Deanna Ivey, Rocky Hill Elementary Lois Sparks, Northshore Elementary Donna Basham, West Valley Middle Rich McKinney, Whittle Springs Middle Beth Mooney, Powell High Anne Thomas-Abbott, Fulton High

Knights Who Say #mmih!

What the Current Research Says “Teacher Retention in Tennessee: Are We Keeping our Best Teachers” (Policy Brief, May 2014) –81.5% of teachers were retained in the same school last year –Early career teachers are retained at lower rates across the board, and highly effective early career teachers are more likely to change schools or districts than the typical highly effective teacher. –For schools where teachers agree that the evaluation process was used effectively (as indicated in the TELL survey), 85% of school’s teachers are retained. –For schools where teachers did not agree that the evaluation process was used effectively, 73% of school’s teachers are retained.

Knox County Statistics For new teachers hired in , the one-year retention of teachers in the county was 79.1%. This could be due to several factors. The average one-year retention rate over the last four years is 81.6%--resembling the state’s findings in the policy brief. It is important now more than ever to promote a supportive mentorship of your new teachers!

Mentoring within the Profession: The Vision (Mertz, 2004, p.551) Mentor Patron or Protector Sponsor or Benefactor Counselor, Advisor, or Guide Teacher or Coach Role Model, Peer Pal, or Supporter Full Induction (Mentoring) Career Advancement (Brokering) Professional Development (Advising) Psychosocial Development (Modeling) INTENTLEVEL OF INTENSITY ROLE

Mentoring within the Profession: The Vision (Mertz, 2004, p.551) Mentor Patron or Protector Sponsor or Benefactor Counselor, Advisor, or Guide Teacher or Coach Role Model, Peer Pal, or Supporter Full Induction (Mentoring) Career Advancement (Brokering) Professional Development (Advising) Psychosocial Development (Modeling) INTENTLEVEL OF INTENSITY ROLE

Mentoring within the Profession: The Vision (Mertz, 2004, p.551) Mentor Patron or Protector Sponsor or Benefactor Counselor, Advisor, or Guide Teacher or Coach Role Model, Peer Pal, or Supporter Full Induction (Mentoring) Career Advancement (Brokering) Professional Development (Advising) Psychosocial Development (Modeling) INTENTLEVEL OF INTENSITY ROLE

Mentoring within the Profession: The Vision (Mertz, 2004, p.551) Mentor Patron or Protector Sponsor or Benefactor Counselor, Advisor, or Guide Teacher or Coach Role Model, Peer Pal, or Supporter Full Induction (Mentoring) Career Advancement (Brokering) Professional Development (Advising) Psychosocial Development (Modeling) INTENTLEVEL OF INTENSITY ROLE

Mentoring Matrix of Support Protégé Mentor Principal Increased student achievement Induction Supervision

Mentoring and the Strategic Plan Goal #2: Invest in Our People –Objective 1: Build and support our community of continuous learners Continually support and build the instructional capacity of our educators Improve teaching quality through collaboration Build capacity of our staff through high quality, tailored, and relevant professional development opportunities –Objective 3: Value our hardworking people Recognize and respect our educators as professionals

A Self-Assessment

Debriefing How does this clip relate to a new teacher’s experience? What does the mentor do to promote the protégé’s reflective thinking? Please complete the self-assessment regarding your own mentoring. Through this, you can determine which sessions would be most beneficial.

Break-out Sessions “Mentoring New Teachers through the TEAM/TAP Rubrics” “Learning Style vs. Teaching Style: Who Are You” “Taking Care of New Teachers: A Toolbox” “The Core Mentor Team among Other Structures: How Does it Fit?” “Team-Building: Bringing Mentors and Protégés Together” “Building a Positive Culture” “Constructing a Mentor Program from the Ground Up” “Using How to Teach Like a Champion in Your Mentor Program”

Mentor Manual Program Details Program Materials Program Forms

Program Details Operational Guidelines on pg. 11 –For new Core Mentor Teams (CMTs), examine the guidelines on these pages in order to establish the size and scope of your team. –For established CMTs, revisit these guidelines so that your team is calibrated to your school’s vision.

Program Materials These are “To Do” items for starting or continuing your CMT. –The Personality Profile is a good activity for mentors/protégés so that proper pairings occur. –Planning Calendar on pg. 22 –Checklist –Assessment Strategies –Community Mapping –Classroom Observations on pg. 36 –Encouraging Reflection –Celebrating Accomplishments

Program Forms Core Mentor Team Contract Core Mentor Team Mentor/Protégé Form School Mentor Program & Budget Form Request for Additional Funds Form Mentor Documentation Form New Teacher Needs Assessment Protégé Visit Debriefing Form Mentor Payroll Invoice Form Substitute Payroll Invoice Form Building- Level Forms

Tan Folder These forms are provided for you (in case you wanted to complete or start on them today). The FAQ sheet over the budget has some shifts from last year’s budget.

KCS Mentoring Budget

Budget Shifts for $60 per new teacher ($75 in SY14) $ per mentor ($ in SY14) $2,000 ($2,500 in SY14) Subs will be paid for through the school’s allocation or through requesting additional funds.

Spending Your Allocation 1.Work with your CMT and principal to determine your school’s priorities. The funds should always be directed toward supporting those priorities. 2.Determine 3-5 activities during the year aligned with your priorities. 3.Estimate the money you need for each activity & budget accordingly.

Budget Items Can pay for: each (stipend + benefits) PD materials Speakers Professional books Educational goody bag materials (school supplies, school-themed shirts, etc.) After-school or weekend trainings each (pay + benefits) Funds cannot pay for: Food & drinks Incentives (personal items for goody bags or after- school events)

Paying for Mentors/Subs So much confusion last year! My apologies! Fill out the required fields: Lead Mentor Name, School Name, names of mentors/subs, social security numbers, Date of Work –For Mentors, the Date of Work is Then sign it and give it to your bookkeeper!

One Focus: Instructional Rounds/Learning Walks

Instructional Rounds/Learning Walks: Details In Engaging Teachers in Classroom Walkthroughs (Kachur, Stout & Edwards, 2013), Learning Walks are “brief, infrequent, informal, and focused visits to classrooms by observers for the purposes of gathering data on educational practices and engaging in some type of follow-up” (p. 1). Successful learning walks: –Establish clear protocols; –Involve teachers in leading the effort; –Focus on a specific area or problem of practice; –Use simple data-gathering processes; –Use non-judgmental language when gathering data; –Follow-up on the process in a timely way; and –Result in improved instruction and student learning.

Collecting Classroom Evidence: Using Descriptive Language “The choice of Huckleberry Finn as text was inappropriate for this age group” “The teacher did a fabulous job of holding the students’ attention” “At about three minutes into the lesson, the teacher asked two students to respond to the question, “Why did Huck decide to leave?” “The teacher introduced a writing prompt” Specificity Objectivity General Specific Judgmental Descriptive Fowler-Finn, T. Leading Instructional Rounds in Education (2013)

Evaluating Evidence Activity Directions: Read the following observations from classroom visits. Indicate whether you would characterize each as specific (fine-grained) and objective (nonjudgmental). Take about 3 minutes on your own. Now, take about 5 minutes at your table, comparing your findings and coming to a consensus.

Evaluating Evidence Activity Answers 1.No 2.No 3.Either; depends on problem of practice 4.Yes 5.No 6.Yes 7.Yes 8.No 9.No 10.Yes 11.Yes 12.No 13.Yes 14.No 15.No

Activity Debrief What are some of our fears in conducting classroom observations of peer teachers or our protégés? What can we do to jump these hurdles? What kind of support is needed to create the trusting culture needed for Instructional Rounds/Learning Walks?

Objectives To reiterate the vision of the KCS Mentor Program To discuss the program’s alignment to “Excellence for Every Child” To outline Lead Mentor/Mentor duties, forms, and budget To develop a building-level program through exposure to mentoring strategies –Core Mentor Team Handbook –Instructional Rounds/Learning Walks

Mentoring: A Final Word “I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.” »Maya Angleou

Speed Sharing Session Theresa Nixon

Participating Schools Table 1: Farragut Primary Table 2: Amherst Elementary Table 3: Cedar Bluff Elementary Table 4: Fulton High Table 5: West Valley Middle Table 6: Karns Elementary Table 7: Powell High Table 8: Rocky Hill Elementary Table 9: Whittle Springs Middle Table 10: Northshore Elementary

Time Schedule/Procedure 2:10-2:12Introduction 2:12-2:27Round 1 2:27-2:28Move 2:28-2:43Round 2 2:43-2:44Move 2:44-2:59Round 3 2:59-3:00Reflection

Mentor Team Planning Katie Lutton

Materials Check Blue Core Mentor Manual, Tan Folder with School Name Snacks (in the back) Extra session materials (in the back) Certificate of Attendance Institute Evaluation

Objectives To design schoolwide programming for your mentor program. To collaborate with your Core Mentor Team. To continue collaborating with colleagues from other schools

Possible Discussion Topics Establishing monthly topics/sessions Building positive culture Setting “to discuss” items for you and your principal Budgeting your allocation Examining building-level priorities Anticipating new teacher needs Taking personality profile in manual & discussing the results together