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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 teacher mentors and beginning teachers fulfill their full potential for excellence in teaching with an induction program that provides state-of-the art mentor training and additional in-class mentoring support that benefits both mentors and new teachers.

A proven mentor training curriculum
IDRA’s Coaching and Mentoring for Novice Teachers is grounded in a valuing philosophy and the latest teacher effectiveness and new teacher support research. The training uses state-of-the-art strategies for developing mentoring and instructional expertise. The approach is one that builds on teachers’ natural strengths, reflects on what works and builds partnerships for success. Additionally, there is a special focus on teaching practices that work in classrooms with diverse student populations, particularly low-income and minority students and students with special needs.

Hands-on personalized assistance

• Trainers help schools to select and pair effective mentors with novice teachers so that these teachers receive the peer support and trusted advice they need to succeed from day one.
• Mentors are trained to become guides, advisors and trusted friends who can then be successful role models, counselors and co-teachers during the first year and beyond.

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 mentor and novice teacher needs to be used for designing workshops and individualized professional development programs.
2. Six-hour workshops or multi-day institutes on topics that specifically address areas of need as delineated in the school’s 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. Individual consultation meeting with each mentor and novice teacher to reflect on observation data and mentoring experiences and to discuss and guide proposed mentoring plans.
5. Online continuous support through a web portal.
6. Additional on-site support as agreed upon by administrator, teacher and mentor.