Leadership through Mentoring: The Key to Improving the Confidence and Skill of Principals

Length: 108 pages
Edition: 1
Language: English
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Publication Date: 2021-07-10
ISBN-10: 1475853440
ISBN-13: 9781475853445
Sales Rank: #2648138 (See Top 100 Books)

Leadership Through Mentoring: The Key to Improving the Principals Confidence and Skill lays out the case for the development of robust mentorship programs to support new school leaders. With principal turnover at an all-time high, it is urgent that schools and districts find ways to help newly appointed leaders grow into effective supervisors, managers, and strategic thinkers who can also find personal and professional satisfaction in their careers. Using examples from several established and successful state programs, Leadership Through Mentoring shows how new school leaders’ effectiveness, vision, and engagement can be grown through intentionally designed and executed programs that offer supportive guidance and wise counsel from experienced leaders. Thoughtfully created and appropriately resourced, such programs can pave the way to longer and more successful principal tenures, which research shows lead directly to significant improvements in schools’ cultures, educational efficacy, and teacher and student performance. This is a book for leaders and governing bodies in all kinds of schools.

Cover
Half-Title
Title
Copyright
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Why Mentoring?
    Need for Mentoring
1  Definition of Mentoring
    Purposes of the Mentor Program
    What Are the Benefits of Mentoring?
    What Makes a Good Mentor?
    How Does a Mentor Offer Support?
    How Does a Mentor Create Challenge?
    A Good Mentor Helps Retain Teachers
2  Trust, Communication, and Relationship Building
    Trust as a Relationship Builder
    Building Trust While Making Difficult Decisions
    Communicating Well in the Mentor–Mentee Space
    Listening: An Essential Communication Tool
    Listening Plus Great Feedback = Trust
    Questions Related to Goals
    Questions on Options for Actions
    Questions on the Mentee’s Will to Succeed
    Takeaways: Feedback Guidelines
3  The Job Is Overwhelming
    Help, Please
    Thank You for the Help
    Challenges
    Making Communication Work in Complicated Lives
    Mentor and Superintendent
    Is Mentoring Widespread?
4  The Mentor Pathway
    The Beginning of the Mentor Year
    Entry Planning and Initial Mentor Meetings
    Questions to Get Things Started
    Questions to Support Planning
    In Sum, Planning for Mentor Meetings
5  The Vermont Principals’ Association Initiative
    The Vermont Initiative
    The VPA Training
    Let’s Hear from Some Vermont Mentors
6  The Massachusetts School Administrators Association Initiative
    Mentor Selection
    The MSAA Training
    Massachusetts Voices: Mentor Training Feedback
    Mentoring at the Half-Way Mark (MSAA, 2019)
    The facilitator asked: What caught you off guard?
    The facilitator asked: What could we addin the training we provided?
    One mentor asked if othershad come up with ways to report on the mentor year to the district?
7  Lessons from the 2020 Massachusetts Mentor Survey
    Meeting Superintendents’ Expectations
    Listening and Being Listened To
    Handling Issues Not Directly Related to Instructional Leadership
    Balancing Work and Life
    Working with Teachers and Staff
    Handling Union Issues
    Mentoring the Same Mentee beyond Year One
    Recommendations for Future Training
8  Making Sense of Mentor Voices from Vermont and Massachusetts
    Takeaways from Both Programs
    Other Areas in Need of Greater Attention
    Why Mentoring Is needed
    Why Principal Induction
    Considerations for Mentoring Program Development
    Best Practices
9  Common Challenges of First-Year Principals
    Trust
    Communication
    Relationship Building and Collaboration
    Work–Life Balance
    In Conclusion
10  First-Year Challenges and the Mentoring Process
    How Mentors Help Mentees with First-Year Challenges
    What Is Not Part of the Mentoring Process?
    Pitfalls in Mentoring
    Suggestions of Focal Points for Mentor Meetings
11  The Importance of Public Trust in Principals
    Book Echoes: Trust, Communication, Listening, Work–Life Balance
12  About the NASSP and Learning Policy Institute Research
    Key Findings and How They Relate to This Book
    Implications for Policy and Practice Local Level
    Implications for Policy and Practice State and Federal Level
    Top Benefits of Mentoring
    Effective Mentor Characteristics Redux
    The Joys of Being a Mentor
References
Index
About the Authors