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

3. Teacher pairings

"Large-scale improvement requires deference to and respect for expertise." During weekly walkthroughs the mentor and the site administrator can "capitalize on differences in expertise, predict failure in the social isolation of practice and create interdependencies that stretch over these differences" (Elmore, 2000).

Instructional strengths and weaknesses are determined and teachers are paired for short-term or long-term associations. Teachers who are identified as resources are assigned to mentor other teachers at the school site. If teachers with relevant mentoring skills are not on site, teachers who have identified weaknesses are provided with the opportunity to participate in intra-district visitations.

At Carson, a second grade teacher who found a successful way to organize her library was matched with a third grade teacher struggling with how to organize chapter books. A teacher excelling in genre studies for fifth grade students was paired for the entire year with a new teacher excited about the prospect of planning a literacy block with specific academic performances as the outcome.

How does the mentor program build leadership capacity?

Each school in the district has a literacy peer coach/staff developer assigned to help classroom teachers improve their practice and deepen their skills. The mentor principal also strengthens the relationship between the principal and the staff developer. Walkthroughs and the mentor's strong involvement at the school site direct the principal's focus and help define the role of the staff developer.

After a number of walkthroughs with the mentor principal, the site administrator and the staff developer, key grade levels are identified and targeted for close work with the staff developer.

For example, at Carson, the fifth-grade team comprised three probationary teachers and one third-year teacher. They were a very talented group of teachers and Jan suggested strong coaching in Writers' Workshop. The peer coach was assigned to work intensively with this grade level. Next year, we will be able to pair fourth-grade teachers with the fifth-grade teachers to further strengthen the upper-grade writing program and build site capacity.

What changes occurred as a result of the mentor program?

The mentor functions as a resource for site administrators by keeping abreast of current literature and recommending appropriate readings to the site administrator. The mentor identifies and recommends seminars and workshops that closely match the needs of the teaching staff.

When I was having difficulty with a third-grade teacher focusing her lessons on a single teaching point or purpose, Jan suggested Carl Anderson's book, "How's it Going" as a resource to help me coach the teacher. When we identified the need for more authentic writing in the upper grades, Jan guided us toward an upcoming Lucy Calkins workshop. Jan understood the needs of the site and was always on the lookout to support the principal in leading instruction.