NYA Mentor Mentee Program 2018-19

New York Academy is a school that is dedicated to building a cultural of professionalism. And, we are committed to maintaining effective school to home communication to inform and educate our stakeholders as to the quality of our work, ultimately to the benefit of our students.

Next school year we will implement our NYA Mentor/Mentee Program. What is the NYA Mentor/Mentee Program?

Mission
The New York Academy Mentor/Mentee Program supports teachers to grow and improve their best practice, meet professional responsibilities and ultimately improve student learning and growth.

The program promotes professional growth in an atmosphere that is collegial and non-judgmental.

Goals

1. To provide mentees with support, encouragement, and guidance from their mentors, colleagues, principals, and education leaders.
2. To provide mentees with a school orientation at the beginning of the school year.
3. To review the NYA Essential Agreements and Non-negotiable best practice to ensure implementation with fidelity.
4. To review the NYA Professional Standards for Teachers to ensure that the mentee fully understands the professional knowledge and skills required of all teachers.
5. To familiarize mentee with the school curriculum, instructional resources, and professional development opportunities.
6. To support mentees to develop and self-direct their Professional Improvement Plan.
7. To grow mentees’ professional growth through peer coaching, self-reflection and professional development.
8. To provide opportunities for mentees to observe highly qualified teachers.
9. To encourage mentees to take risks and contribute to the NYA Professional Learning Community.
10. To retain skilled, committed teachers who provide high quality instruction.
11. To ensure confidentiality between mentor and mentee.

Core Mentoring Activities

The mentoring relationship is shaped by the activities that a mentor and mentee participate in together. These activities should help the mentee improve upon practice, develop an understanding of the Professional Standards for Teachers, and honor the NYA Learning Programs and Curriculum.

The activities may include but not be limited to:

1. Meeting weekly during the school year to plan curriculum and lessons and to engage in cognitive coaching sessions.
2. Observing one another’s classroom.
3. Analyzing and coaching the mentee’s practice criteria to help the mentee to improve his/her teaching effectiveness.
4. Co-teaching lessons.
5. Providing an array of assistance to the mentee, ranging from help with policies and procedures, to guidance on classroom management, to feedback on instructional strategies and other aspects of professional practice.

Participant’s Roles and Responsibilities

Mentee

1. Meet weekly with mentor
2. Engage in the mentoring relationship. A new teacher can do this by offering critical reflections on her/his own practice and by identifying areas in which assistance is needed.
3. Seek out help. The beginning teacher must understand that he or she must seek out support from team members, be forthright in communicating classroom issues, and remain open to feedback to develop as a professional.
4. Observe experienced teachers at work. The new teacher with the help of his/her mentor should participate in a schedule of observations of experienced teachers.The new teacher is encouraged to keep a log to record and reflect on the diversity of their styles.
5. Participate in a support process for maintaining a mentor/mentee relationship. If an unresolvable issue arises in the mentor/mentee relationship, the mentee can request a meeting with the Principal and/or Head of School to help to reach a resolution.
6. Participate regularly in programs organized for new teachers. These include, but are not limited to, support groups, professional development seminars and new teacher workshops.

Mentor

1. Ensure a strong start to the year. Mentors can help new teachers launch into a productive year by making sure they know where to obtain all needed materials and by explaining the routines and schedules that are pertinent to them.
2. Provide instructional support. This includes, but is not limited to:
   1. Providing regular opportunities for mentee(s) to observe mentor teaching.
   2. Participating in discussions following lessons that draw upon coaching andreflective thinking techniques.
   3. Conferencing with the new teacher following observed lessons.
   4. Maintaining open communication with mentee either face to face or electronically.
   5. Supporting teaching and learning standards, including being a resource for multipleteaching strategies.
   6. Addressing issues such as classroom management and communicating effectively with parents.
   7. Recognizing and addressing multiple learning styles and individual student needs.
3. Provide professional support. New teachers need to be informed of school policiesand procedures, particularly regarding standards and procedures for teacher evaluation.
   The Head of School, Principal, and teachers, as well as Mentors, should be a resource for information on professional practice.
4. Provide personal support. Mentors can help relieve the stress on new teachers by introducing them to other faculty members and with support and encouragement help the beginning teacher to put problems in perspective.
5. Maintain a confidential relationship with the beginning teacher. It is important that the new teacher has confidence that the dialogue they have with their mentor is safe and secure and that they will get nurturing and supportive feedback from their mentor.
6. Participate in a support process for maintaining a mentor/mentee relationship. If an unresolvable issue arises in the mentor/mentee relationship, the mentee will request to meet with the Head of School and the mentor to reach a resolution to the issue.
7. Serve as a liaison. The mentor should have the knowledge and skills to refer the new teacher to other teachers and educational resources, so that the new teacher is exposed to a variety of perspectives and instructional practices.
8. Serve as a resource. Inform the beginning teacher of opportunities and supports provided by various professional associations.

Head of School and Principal
The roles and responsibilities of the Head of School and Principal to support the new teacher will include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Meet with new teacher no less than once/month separate from building meetings to review timely topics and to answer related questions. Topics may include but not limited to:
   1. Events
   2. Curriculum and Instructional Best Practice
   3. Progress Reports
   4. Assessment Deadlines
   5. Professional Learning Community and Professional Growth Plan
   6. Conferences with Parents
2. Establish a school culture that is built on collegiality and supports collaboration among new and veteran teachers.
3. Ensure reasonable working conditions for the new teacher that will promote a successful first year. That might include assigning the new teacher a moderate teaching load, few extra-curricular duties, and a schedule that is compatible with the mentor’s schedule.
4. Promote and encourage opportunities for the new teacher to observe exemplary teachers.
5. Provide support and encouragement to all new staff by listening and remaining open to new teacher ideas and suggestions regarding school policy, scheduling, personnel, student concerns, and curriculum issues.
6. Engage in periodic check-ins with the new staff and/or mentors in their buildings regarding the mentoring progress with full understanding and respect for the confidentiality between mentor and mentee.
7. Participate in a support process for maintaining a mentor/mentee relationship.
   If an unresolvable issue arises in the mentor/mentee relationship, the mentee will request to meet with the Head of School and the mentor to reach a resolution to the issue.
8. Plans Summer New Teacher Training and Curriculum Planning and New Teacher Orientation with colleagues.
9. Presents overview of Mentoring and Induction Program to new teachers.
10. Provides support to new teachers and mentors throughout the year via e-mail, visits
    and observations. Monitors and collects mentoring logs.
11. Conducts surveys from mentees and mentors that lead to program improvements.
12. Updates program data (e.g., changes in assignment, roles, program description).

Meetings

1. Mentees and Mentors schedule a regularly weekly meeting and inform the HOS of the day, time, and place.
2. Mentees and Mentors meet with the HOS monthly to update progress.

Professional Improvement Plan (PIP)

• Professional Growth Target Goals (NYA Professional Growth Standards)
• Weekly Mentor/Mentee Meeting – Regular Day and Time
• Observations by Mentor x3 per Trimester, including Cognitive Coaching Session
• Co-Teaching with Mentor x3 per Trimester
• Monthly Progress Meeting with HOS and/or Principal – Schedule per Trimester
• Professional Journal(minimum “one page” entry per week, “Notice, Think, Realize”)