Volume 3 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Research - Page 73

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 71 experience. Access and time allowed the new teachers to gain mentoring guidance regarding district, school, and role-specific information and expectations, develop an understanding of district and school culture and climate, and experience the modeling of best practices with classroom management, time management, and organization. New Teacher Retention Themes The new teacher retention themes that emerged from the data include advantage and detriment. Almost half of the new teachers found their mentors to be an advantage and attributed their mentoring experiences to their decisions to remain in their positions for the following school year. This finding is supported by research which found that mentoring is an effective retention tool, and teachers who are mentored leave at more than two times lower rates than teachers who are not mentored (Anhorn, 2008; Behrstock-Sherratt et al., 2014; Feiman-Nemser, 2003; Ingersoll & Strong, 2012; Kent et al., 2012; Long, 2010; Ingersoll, 2015; Sutcher, Darling-Hammond, & Carver-Thomas, 2016). The other half of the new teachers did not consider their mentoring experiences as a reason to remain in their positions for the following school year which agrees with Ingersoll and Strong (2012), who asserted that the strength of the mentoring relationship has a direct impact on teacher retention. The findings of the study go against research that found new teacher attrition is very high within the first five years with 40% to 50% of new teachers leaving their jobs (Ingersoll, 2012). In this study, two teachers either left the District or changed jobs, which represents 22%, a much lower percentage. Mentor Support Themes The mentor support themes that emerged from the data include connection, growth, and relationships. Overall, mentor participants did not feel supported by the district in meeting the needs of the new teachers they were mentoring. The majority of the mentor participants also reported that they received no training to support their mentoring endeavor. Research findings in support of mentor training found that the experienced and trained teacher is the most effective mentor (Feiman-Nemser, 2003; Kent et al., 2012; Long, 2010; Luft, Bang, & Roehrig, 2007). Most of the mentor participants needed more dedicated time to connect with the new teachers they were assigned to mentor. Some of the mentor participants were assigned more than one new teacher to mentor, adding more time restrictions. Half of the mentor participants did not know what was expected of them in their role of a mentor. The majority of the mentor participants mentored new teachers with a team mindset, resulting in an overall positive and productive experience for both the mentors and the new teachers. In this relationship, the mentors took responsibility for the new teachers’ development. Less than half of the mentor participants mentored new teachers with a leader-follower mindset, in which respect was expected based on mentors’ years of experience in the district or in the profession of teaching. In this relationship, mentors did not feel that the new teachers’ success or failure was their responsibility. Interestingly, even though the mentor participants did not feel supported in mentoring new teachers, the new teacher participants reported overall high levels of being supported by their mentors. Both new teacher participants and mentor participants agreed that the most important part of the mentoring relationship is acclimation to a new district, school, and role, and the acclimation process required dedicated time and access. Recommendations for Districts Considering that the district hired mentor teachers who provided an overall positive and productive experience for new teachers, it is recommended that districts enlist high caliber hiring practices to ensure the addition of teachers with the experience and demeanor necessary to be successful mentors. As most teachers may be asked to be a mentor at some point, it is recommended that mentoring be a part of the initial interview process, as an indicator of a teacher’s experience with mentoring and his or her willingness to provide mentoring services in the future. To enable the mentoring program to have a positive effect on teacher retention, mentor training is recommended. The participants’ perception of their role as a mentor guided their mentoring strategies with the new teachers they were assigned, making it important to outline the role of a mentor before the mentoring relationship ensues. Mentor participants within the study recommended that training include district expectations of mentors, differences in generational characteristics, time management, and conflict resolution techniques. It is