Putting Culture at the Center: Mentors' Views of Programmatic Impact in Rural Alaska

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 10:50 am
  In Roundtable Session: Cultivating Mentorship: Insights From Diverse Landscapes and Practices (Table 36)

Abstract

Mentoring of early career teachers (ECTs) is an evidence-based approach that supports teacher retention, strong instructional practices, and student achievement. However, there remains an acute need to understand the contextual factors that influence such programs, especially given the fact that teachers in the U.S. often do not come from the same cultural background as their students. Using a mixed methods approach, we investigated which elements of an existing mentoring program were most salient in supporting ECTs. Our findings suggest that the culturally responsive, community-oriented focus of the mentoring model, along with multi-layered support for mentors and trusting relationships with mentees, were the factors most responsible for building self-efficacy and retention among ECTs. We discuss the implications below.

Authors

• Katherine McKnight, RTI International

• Cheyane Mitchell, RTI International

• Laura D. Carsten Conner, University of Alaska - Fairbanks

• Keiko A. Herrick, University of Alaska - Fairbanks

• Glenda Findlay, University of Alaska - Fairbanks

• Janice Littlebear, Alaska Statewide Mentor Project

• Susan McIntosh, University of Alaska