Mentors

Characteristic 8: All residents are mentored by accomplished mentor teachers who reflect their LEA's and community's unique diversity.

The Characteristics and Evidence of an Effective California Teacher Residency Program (the Characteristics) serve as a common framework for teacher residencies in the state. They exemplify the scope and complexity of the development of teacher residency programs by which all partnerships can define and develop their program implementation.

The following evidence-based indicators should be used for each level of residency development. 

• Mentors have at least three years of teaching experience and a clear credential

• Mentors have a record of successful teaching, growth mindset, receptiveness to feedback, and willingness to disrupt problematic and racist actions

• Mentors reflect the teachers and students they serve

• Mentor selection strategy screens and vets’ potential mentors using multiple measures (e.g., paper application, interview, model lesson and debrief session, colleague recommendation, etc.)

• Mentor selection strategy includes assessment of a potential mentor's awareness of the impact of identity and institutionalized racism on teaching and learning in California

• Mentors receive specific training for the mentor teacher role

• Mentors receive ongoing professional development tied to resident learning and need

• Professional development builds capacity to mentor during and around TK-12 instructional time

• Mentors use knowledge of equity principles and culturally responsive pedagogy to support their resident to address issues of equity, bias, and access to standards-based curriculum

• Mentors use mentoring stances strategically to engage their resident in collaborative problem-solving and reflection

• Mentors develop the resident’s abilities to self-assess and co-assess practice based on evidence, to set professional goals, and monitor progress

• Mentors support residents to ground the critical analysis of teaching practice in student experience and learning