New Mexico state law requires every beginning teacher to receive mentoring during their provisional year before obtaining a permanent license. Albuquerque Public Schools, the Albuquerque Teachers Federation and the University of New Mexico’s College of Education launched a mentoring program in 2004 with nine tenets:
- Serve all first-year licensed teachers.
- Differentiate mentoring differentiated by need.
- Mentor teachers continue to teach in their own classrooms.
- Provide a consistent model for mentoring.
- Develop mentoring standards.
- Align mentoring with state and federal mandates and guidelines.
- Support the principals who are implementing the program.
- Offer a mentor-the-mentor component.
- Include a research, evaluation and tracking system to document mentoring outcomes.
Main story: Coach approach to K12 teacher professional development
More resources: Online resources for teacher PD