News Brief
Better Mentoring for New N.J. Teachers Proposed
Philadelphia Inquirer (PA) (08/10/13) Mooney, JohnNew Jersey Education Commissioner Chris Cerf has proposed changes to strengthen teacher mentoring programs, which have long been recognized as a critically important method of increasing teacher quality. While regulations require districts to have a full mentoring plan, they are unclear on what those programs should entail, creating great inconsistencies between programs. The proposed regulations will address some issues and provide basic frameworks for selecting and training mentors. Only teachers considered effective or highly effective by teacher evaluations could become mentors, and training will cover specific areas. Mentors would need to be skilled in how teachers are observed in the classroom and how new national curriculum standards are applied. Development of mentoring plans will be up to the district superintendent, and programs must be research based. Cerf said, "Mentoring is one of those things like motherhood and apple pie that is hard to be against, but data has shown that many programs have low effectiveness. So it is not about just having a mentoring program, but having a quality mentoring program."
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