Chapter 15: A Summary of Best Practices in Mentoring For Teacher and Leader Development

The intent of the authors of this book was to compile a collection of recent research that would illustrate best practices in mentoring in P–12 settings that are contributing to the growth and learning of new teachers and principals. The chapters chosen for this book illustrate best practices in mentoring that meet one or more of the criteria we set forth in Chapter One, in which we stated that in order for a mentoring practice to be considered a best practice, it would have to:

We also noted that the practice should be rooted in recognized theory, and that the research conducted and reported in the chapters should be methodologically sound. The majority of the studies reported in this book analyzed formal mentoring programs for teachers or principals that were unique in some way. From our review of them, it became apparent that there were some foundational tenets of mentoring being described that, indeed, met our criteria for best practices. There were also some new emerging trends that posed interesting possibilities for mentoring practice. The landscape of mentoring in schools is changing, and mentoring program directors are adapting their approaches to meet the needs of educators in various contexts, as well as to address constraints and barriers associated with traditional mentoring models. However, in the midst of the changes, the essential foundational tenets of mentoring relationships and programs are being preserved and should be noted. What follows is a summary of both the enduring constructs of mentoring demonstrated by the research studies in these chapters, which we deem as best practices, as well as the emerging trends in P–12 mentoring.