Mentoring matters! Through San Diego's mentor program, principals address the practical application of instructional issues with the input of a trusted colleague

Leadership, Jan-Feb, 2002 by Carol Kuhl Barry, Jan Kaneko

"The power of our mentors is not necessarily in the models of good teaching they gave us.... Their power is in their capacity to awaken a truth within us, a truth we can reclaim years later by recalling their impact on our lives."

-- Parker Palmer

Over the next decade, California faces a severe shortage of qualified school site administrators. Whether the state will be able to meet the demand will depend largely on how school districts solicit, train and retain new administrators.

In January 2000, the school board for the San Diego City Unified School District approved a plan to provide job-embedded training for site administrators. The goal of the program is to deepen the leadership capacity of the district's site administrators. This goal is accomplished by providing site administrators with the opportunity to work regularly with mentor principals.

The development of a close working relationship between a site administrator and a mentor provides the site administrator with the opportunity to address current instructional issues, and to develop a practical application of those important issues with the input of a trusted colleague.

The initial expenditure of more than $250,000 for this program reflects the district's commitment to building a program that values the selection, development and retention of San Diego's future leaders.

Why have mentor principals?

When I was appointed to my current position as principal of Carson Elementary School, I had 16 years of successful teaching practice that included terrific staff development opportunities. I also had extensive experience leading staff development both nationally and within the district. I knew, because it had been my experience as a teacher, that I could only affect change if I could empower classroom teachers. It was clear to me that teachers must lead change because they most closely understand the issues and they hold the power to transform a system.

As the new principal at Carson Elementary School, I knew that my success as an administrator depended on my ability to provide the teaching staff with both strong pedagogical tools and a sense of professional empowerment that would allow teachers to feel confident in their abilities and instructional decisions. While I had a strong background in teaching and staff development, I had little experience with managing a school site or implementing a districtwide mandate for change.

How are successful mentor/mentee relationships established?

When Jan Kaneko was assigned as my mentor, we had never formally met. Jan had an excellent reputation as a site administrator, a position that she had held for the previous 15 years. At the inception of the program, Jan was assigned to mentor seven principals. These principals were selected because they were considered to have the potential to become strong instructional leaders.

Unlike the traditional, deficit-model mentoring program, the intent of the process in San Diego was to build on existing strengths. It was a privilege to have been selected to the program and there was an expectation that each of the mentees would develop into strong district leaders.

The program also differed from usual mentor/mentee models because Jan was not responsible for her own school site while mentoring each of us. Her sole responsibility was to help each of us develop into strong instructional leaders. She was available to attend and give us feedback on staff conferences, teacher coaching sessions and parent meetings. She scheduled bi-weekly visits, but she was also available on short notice when we needed immediate help.

As Jan and I developed a relationship, it became clear that her goal was to provide me with support and the benefit of her knowledge and experience so that I had the tools and confidence to excel. Like my understanding of teacher empowerment, Jan understood that I could only be empowered by an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. Jan and I developed a collegial relationship through conversations, discussions and problem-solving sessions about the school site and instructional practice.

According to the district's plan, Jan's role was not to evaluate me, but to aid in my analysis and development of the teaching program. The program was intended to be a collaborative effort to improve instruction and raise academic achievement for every child. The problem-solving sessions, with two trained professionals, were aimed at generating possibilities, encouraging new thinking and developing an action plan that would ultimately "improve education in the only way it can be -- through the day-today actions of empowered people" (Fullan, 1977).

Most valuable experiences:

1. Walkthroughs

Jan and I spent most of our time in walkthroughs. Walkthroughs are short observations in classrooms with time for debriefing at the end of each session. We gathered enormous amounts of information during this time in classrooms.

During our initial walkthroughs, we looked at student engagement, classroom environments and pedagogical competence. After the walkthroughs we discussed what we observed, identified trends and developed steps for improvement. AS we developed a relationship and built our understanding of the strengths and needs of the school, we could further focus our walkthroughs.