Mentor program to continue

By Jennifer Leete

The Teacher Mentor program will continue for 2005 with the current level of funding maintained, but there will be some changes to the nature of the program.

The program for 2003 and 2004 involved the establishment of 51 teacher mentor positions, appointed additional to current staffing establishment in some of the schools which have a high proportion of beginning teachers. The schools involved are some of the most difficult to staff schools in NSW and have a high turnover of staff. The teacher mentor program aims to support the induction of beginning teachers, to ensure they have a positive start to their careers and that they choose to remain in teaching.

The program has been highly successful. The Department of Education and Training's (DET's) Strategic Research Directorate, in conjunction with an independent academic, Professor Christine Deer, has completed an evaluation of the program which demonstrates its success. Respected mentoring expert Dr Kay Martinez, of James Cook University has worked closely with the 51 teacher mentors and in her international work frequently cites the NSW Teacher Mentor Program as a model worthy of emulation by other schooling authorities and systems.

Implementation of the program for 2005 is still being finalised but it is likely that it will change so that not all the positions are 100 per cent additional to establishment. This will have the effect of giving some teacher mentor resource to a greater number of schools, but for some the resource will be spread more thinly.

Federation is represented on the Teacher Mentor Program Working Party which has been considering the future form of the program. That working party has recently made recommendations to the Director-General and Minister which propose a new allocation of the current positions.

The proposal is that some schools would have a full time, 100 per cent additional to establishment teacher mentor. Other schools would have a teacher mentor with a teaching load albeit not a full face-to-face load.

Current teacher mentor positions were filled for a two year (2003 and 2004) period only. Schools that have had a teacher mentor for 2004 will not necessarily get teacher mentor support during 2005. The positions will be reallocated on the basis of the trend data of beginning teacher appointments. It is likely that a teacher mentor position will be retained in some schools because the data in relation to beginning teachers, particularly in difficult to staff country schools, is relatively constant. There will, however, be a new selection process so any current incumbent who wished to retain a teacher mentor position in their current school would need to apply in the new round. It is expected that DET will shortly provide written advice to schools on these matters.

Jennifer Leete is the Deputy President.

For further information

November 2004 contents