I Am Mentor, I Am Coach

IDEAS

I Am Mentor, I Am Coach

Effective mentors help new leaders develop their own strengths

By Marceta Reilly and Donna Augustine-Shaw

Categories: Coaching

October 2017

Vol. 38 No 5

Much has been written about the challenge of preparing good leaders within our schools. Smith and Smith (2015) note that effective leadership practices have a strong, measurable effect on student achievement, teaching quality, and schools. Louis, Leithwood, Wahlstrom, and Anderson (2010) say that leadership is important because it sets conditions and expectations in the school for excellent instruction and a culture of ongoing learning for educators and students. Fullan (2010) asserts that the impact of leadership can become the single most important factor in moving schools forward. That said, preparing good leaders depends not only on providing good initial professional learning, but also on creating a strong support structure during the early years of practice. However, what good mentoring looks and sounds like varies widely

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Donna Augustine-Shaw (donna5@ksu.edu) is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Kansas State University, associate director of the Kansas Educational Leadership Institute, and a past higher education representative of Learning Forward Kansas. Marceta Reilly (marceta@marcetareilly.com) is a coach, author, and founding member of Learning Forward Kansas.

About the Kansas Educational Leadership Institute

The Kansas Educational Leadership Institute’s mission is to collaborate and share resources to support professional growth of educational leaders in the state’s schools. This support includes mentoring and induction of new leaders as well as professional learning for school and district leaders.

The institute has served 145 new superintendents and assistant superintendents since beginning in 2011, 120 new principals and assistant principals since 2013, and 12 new special education leaders since 2015.

The institute’s partnerships include the Kansas State Department of Education, United School Administrators of Kansas, Kansas Association of School Boards, Kansas School Superintendents Association, and the College of Education Department of Educational Leadership at Kansas State University. These partners establish programming direction and growth as well as meeting field-based needs.

Kansas practitioners, representing various professional organizations, provided initial recommendations on the mentoring and induction program structure. The institute’s design provides clear guidance on mentee requirements and mentor expectations because of these recommendations.

The program maintains a focus on continual improvement. Mentors serve as a critical friend, providing essential insight into field-based needs and recommendations on identified areas of growth. The institute administers end-of-year surveys annually to all program mentees and mentors. These data reveal positive trends:

During the first five years of operation, 100% of district program mentors and mentees agreed the institute’s mentoring program helped mentees grow professionally. In addition, 100% of district-level mentors agreed that the institute’s professional learning helped them be a more effective mentor/coach.

In a four-year trend, 90% of building-level mentors and mentees agreed that the institute’s mentoring/induction support is helpful to a first-year building leader, and 100% of building-level mentors agreed that serving as a mentor is a personal professional learning experience.

For more information about the Kansas Educational Leadership Institute mentoring program, contact Donna Augustine-Shaw at Donna5@ksu.edu.

References

Bailey, S.T. & Reilly, M.F. (2017). Releasing leadership brilliance: Breaking sound barriers in education. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Cheliotes, L. & Reilly, M. (2010). Coaching conversations: Transforming your school one conversation at a time. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Fullan, M. (2010). All systems go: The change imperative for whole system reform. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Goldsmith, M. (2007). What got you here won’t get you there: How successful people become even more successful. New York, NY: Hyperion.

Learning Forward. (2011). Standards for Professional Learning. Oxford, OH: Author.

Louis, K.S., Leithwood, K., Wahlstrom, K.L., & Anderson, S.E. (2010). Investigating the links to improved student achievement: Final report of research findings. St. Paul, MN: Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, University of Minnesota & Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

Smith, J. & Smith, R. (2015). Evaluating instructional leadership: Recognized practices for success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Villani, S. (2006). Mentoring and induction programs that support new principals. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.