Mentoring Program

Topeka Public Schools offers a two-year comprehensive Induction and Mentoring program for all teachers, school specialists (reading specialists, library media specialists, and school counselors) and new school leaders on an initial license. The program activities are structured around Charlotte Danielson's effective teaching framework, Bruce Wellman's Learning Focused Conversations, Robert Marzano's and all four areas of the Kansas Professional Education Standards (link) as they relate to the school specialist's specific practice and new teachers. The new school leaders' program is a year long mentoring program. The program activities will be structured around ISLLC and Kansas Professional Standards.

What is Mentoring?

A process of deliberate pairing an experienced person with a lesser experienced one, with the agreed-upon goal of having the less experience person grow and develop specific competencies. Mentoring is a sustained relationship which gives experienced teachers the opportunity to share their professional and personal skills and experiences, and to grow and develop in the process.

Benefits of Having a Mentor

New teachers in Topeka Public Schools have identified some of the benefits of having a mentor.

Having a designed person to ask questions
Trusting that anything discussed will be confidential
Having someone to help with lesson plans
Having someone to share teaching strategies
Having a friendly face in a new environment
Having someone to discuss doubts and frustrations

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