The Great Balancing Act: Mentor Teacher Leaders as Classroom Teachers and Peer Coaches

• In Event: 26.079 - Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: 26.079-4 - Efficacy and Effectiveness of Mentor Teacher Leaders: A Multiperspective Session

Abstract

Purpose

Mentor teachers, or coaches, continue to gain presence in schools across the country. Some coaches serve in dual capacities as both classroom teachers and instructional leaders, as is the case with the participants of this study. However vital these leaders have grown to be in their respective schools, their turnover rate is higher than other positions in their districts. In order to better understand this phenomenon, researchers sought the feedback of mentor teachers representing three Arizona school districts.

Theoretical framework

Teacher coaches serve a unique role in that they have an opportunity to facilitate the contextualized professional development that teachers need in order to increase student achievement (Bean, Draper, Hall, Vandermolen, & Zigmond, 2010; Vanderburg & Stephens, 2010; see also Woulfin, 2014). Mudzimiri, Burroughs, Luebeck, Sutton, & Yopp (2014) argue that “context and competing demands have a drastic influence on what gets accomplished in coaching,” (p. 19). This, coupled with the fact that mentors also serve as classroom teachers in their schools, calls for an exploration of how these teachers balance their coaching and teaching responsibilities.

Methods

Given the researchers’ interest in understanding the high turnover rate of mentor teachers in the TIF partner districts, they employed qualitative research methods. Researchers conducted focus group interviews with mentor teachers from three partner districts. After transcribing the interview data, they started by each performing an initial round of line-by-line coding (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) and then compared codes to check for similarities. After performing three rounds of constant comparison, the researchers collapsed codes into major and minor themes (Charmaz, 2006) for conclusion drawing purposes (Erickson, 1986).

Data Sources

Data included transcripts from four semi-structured focus group interviews with 24 mentor teachers across three school districts. This resulted in approximately 60 pages of interview data. Also, participants who were not able to attend the interviews were solicited to submit written responses to the interview questions. These responses were also included in data analysis.

Results

Overall, the mentor teachers reported that they view themselves as necessary leaders in their schools; however, they struggle to balance their classroom and coaching responsibilities. Limited resources including time, classroom coverage, and money were factors of frustration and challenge, as one teacher captured: “[It is] difficult for mentors to handle when they're maxed out with responsibilities with their own class and those of the [evaluation system].” Another source of concern was their voices in leadership decisions: “Even though mentors are supposed to be part of the leadership team, there is often the feeling of not really being part of the team…there's a feeling of being valued less.”

Scholarly Significance

Findings of this study have implications for policy and practice. Given the potential value of mentor teachers, it is critical for school administrators to fully support and provide the necessary resources for these coaches to maximize their time with teachers. Results of this study suggest that mentors, specifically, struggle to balance their responsibilities as classroom teachers and instructional coaches.

Authors

• Jessica Holloway, Kansas State University

• Ann Walker Nielsen, Arizona State University

• Sarah Saltmarsh, Arizona State University