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New teachers thrive. Seasoned teachers hone their skills. Students excel.

Dynamic induction training for mentors and new teachers
Effective, creative high quality teaching is at the heart of school success. IDRA can help your teachers fulfill their full potential with an induction program that selects and pairs effective mentors with novice teachers and gives new teachers the peer support and trusted advice they need to succeed from day one. As guides, advisors and trusted friends, mentors will serve as successful role models, counselors and co-teachers. Mentors will help new teachers navigate rough and still waters, build on a teachers’ natural strengths, reflect on what works, and be partners for success.

A rigorous mentor selection process
To qualify for selection as a mentor, applicants must be:

• Recommended by peers,
• Approved through the application process, reflecting a sound mentoring/coaching philosophy,
• Observed in the classroom, and
• Selected from a pool of qualified applicants by a committee of novice teachers, and by administrators and experienced teachers. 

A proven mentor training curriculum
The IDRA New Teacher Induction Model is based on the NTC Induction Model—a model tested over two decades through the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project that has served more than 2,500 first- and second-year teachers in over two dozen school districts in the University of California, Santa Cruz service area.  The IDRA model focuses on improving teacher practices that work in classrooms with diverse student populations, particularly low-income, minority and students with special needs.  This collaborative model embraces the idea that teachers will feel successful and will want to stay when they feel fulfilled and their students are successful.

IDRA is an approved Beginning Induction and Mentoring Program Provider under Texas Education Agency (HB-1) http://www.tea.state.tx.us/HB1/TeaMen/.

IDRA’s induction training for mentors and new teachers can help you:

• Ease new teachers’ entry into education and support them during their first year
• Raise teacher retention rates
• Connect teachers with knowledgeable, caring, experienced teachers
• Build your faculty’s confidence, efficacy and success in serving diverse students

A research-based mentoring model

IDRA’s New Teacher Induction Model embraces research-based mentoring activities and prepares and supports novice teachers to address the challenges of a new school culture, the emotional ups and downs associated with a new work experience, high expectations of the school and the community, and all the new knowledge that must be acquired about policies and practices of the school district.  The model is based on these premises:

• Learning never stops; it is a career-long process developing teaching expertise.
• All students regardless of SES, ethnicity, race or gender must be engaged in the learning process.
• Teaching must be data driven, must be inclusive and must address linguistic and cultural characteristics of the
  student population.
• Quality teaching leads to improved student academic performance.
• Professional and ethical standards developed by the Texas Education Agency drive the professional development of teachers.

Core components, tailored to meet the unique needs of your campus community

1. Initial observation to assess novice teacher needs to be used for designing workshops and individualized professional development programs
2. Individual consultation meeting with each novice teacher to reflect on observation data, experiences in the classroom, and to discuss and get feedback on the proposed mentoring plan
3. Monthly one-to-one visitations (observations, classroom modeling, co-planning and teaching or for any other purpose agreed to by teacher and mentor) in classrooms
4. Online continuous support through discussion boards
5. Five six-hour workshops on topics that specifically address areas of need as defined through observation and teacher evaluation data (PDAS data)
6. Additional on-site support as agreed upon by administrator, teacher and mentor

For more information, call: 210-444-1710