From GYO candidate to teacher of record | Resources

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The fifth and final conversation of our Future of Mentoring webinar series featured GYO program leaders working in two different states. With GYO programs situated across unique local contexts, there is no “typical” program. Some of the constants, though, include: GYO programs tend to serve non-traditional students, rely on strong partnerships, have the potential to address teacher shortages in critical areas, and are designed to eliminate barriers to becoming a teacher in the communities where candidates live and want to work. Across all their variability, GYO pathways are critical to building a next-generation educator workforce. And mentoring is key to fulfilling the promise of GYO educator preparation as a recruitment, retention, and teacher development strategy.

Speakers:

Sophie Meuch, Educator Development Specialist, Talent Together
Nicole Sinclair, Educator Development Specialist, Talent Together
Dr. Sarena Shivers, Executive Director, Talent Together
Tawnya Lubbes is an Associate Professor of Education, Eastern Oregon University
Kristen Pratt, Associate Professor, Education & Leadership, Western Oregon University
Dr. Lynne Gardner, Senior Policy Analyst, Educator Pathways and Workforce Initiatives, Educator Advancement Council
Amy Feehan, Senior Director of Program and Partnerships at New Teacher Center

Highlights and takeaways:

State investments in GYO: Michigan

Established in 2022-23, Michigan’s Talent Together administers one of the country’s largest registered apprenticeship programs funded by the Department of Labor. A collaboration of all the state’s school districts, the initiative offering pathways to a bachelor’s degree has seen over 5,000 applicants, currently supports 1,200 active candidates, and partners with almost 20 post-secondary institutions across the state.
Talent Together’s secret sauce is an “unshakeable focus” on providing wrap-around supports for teacher candidates that extend beyond financial need, including: post-secondary program accessibility and support with online learning, navigating the transition into teaching, understanding the “invisible load” of additional teacher responsibilities, experiential learning opportunities, and teacher certification testing support.

State investments in GYO: Oregon

Oregon began investing in a formal ‘Grow Your Own’ initiative in 2020 with a state RFA grant program administered by the Educator Advancement Council (EAC), which has seen steadily increasing interest and applications from local and regional partnerships.
Western Oregon University’s Flexible Licensure Educator Pathways (FLEX) program is a community-centered approach to teacher development. Established with an EAC grant to address critical shortages of highly qualified teachers in non-metropolitan areas, the program also reduces disparities in the representation of ethnoracially and linguistically diverse educators. A triad partnership framework focuses on cultivating long-term relationships between community college partners, educational service districts, school districts, and other invested community partners, such as school boards or union representatives.
Now celebrating its 10th year, the Oregon Teacher Pathway program at Eastern Oregon University was established through an earlier state initiative aimed at diversifying the teacher workforce. The university currently has seven partnerships with rural school districts, offering a dual-credit program that transitions into a university pathway and teacher licensure. Teacher support through the program continues into the early years on the job.

Best practice GYO mentoring

Panelists cited examples of two rural or remote area school district GYO programs that are coordinated through HR departments to offer considerable support to participants, from hiring and placement to mentor assignment and administrative resources.
Districts should invest in thoughtful mentor selection, looking for teachers with growth mindsets. Panelists emphasized that “extensive” time and energy need to be dedicated to mentoring PL and development, providing explicit training in adult learning principles and coaching on how to be an effective mentor. It’s also important to consider the educational experiences and professional backgrounds of GYO candidates when selecting and training mentors.
Providing collaborative communities of practice for mentor cohorts was another approach to build mentor “toolsets” of research-based mentoring strategies, such as voiceovers (making thinking visible), paraphrasing techniques, huddling, ghost coaching, co-teaching models, and feedback strategies.
Positioning mentoring as teacher leadership is part of the equation, recognizing that good GYO mentors often serve in multiple roles beyond being a great teacher: coach, manager, mentor, thought partner, and navigator.
Rather than deficit-based mentoring that tries to “fix” new educators, GYO mentoring should provide consistent recognition of the gifts and possibilities that candidates bring to the profession. This means creating learning environments in which novice educators can thrive as they learn, grounded in what they already know and value about their communities.
For GYOs centered on community members becoming educators, a tiered structure of mentoring should include opportunities for GYO participants to become mentors themselves. Near-peer mentors for new GYO participants offer a valuable opportunity for programs, as well as professional or instructional mentors, to ensure that new educators have the support they need to succeed in their positions.

Challenges

Some GYO programs focus more on program recruitment and completion than retention of new educators entering schools. GYO designers must create program support that extends beyond licensure or certification to provide extended and structured mentorship for new teachers in their early career years in schools.
During GYO program participation, candidates may have multiple mentors who aren’t necessarily communicating with each other, which can be detrimental to teacher candidates.
Effective mentoring requires coordinated efforts among all invested partners to ensure comprehensive but coordinated support. Mentoring must also be strategically aligned with district and building annual professional development plans to create inclusive clinical environments.

One big takeaway about GYO mentoring

Mentoring serves GYO candidates best when it’s centered on acknowledging their gifts and recognizing the possibilities of what they bring to the field as fresh, new, and localized knowledge.
Being strategic and intentional about mentorship is key, with a focus on creating communities of practice that meet people where they are.
Mentoring is seen as integral to the program, not just an add-on. Cultivating a deep bench of mentors who have themselves gone through GYO programs promotes retention and provides opportunities for early- and mid-career educators to become teacher leaders, not just “survivors.”
Extensive time and energy need to be dedicated to developing mentors. Usually, the mentor teacher performs the role with limited to no training.
Program partners must be intentional in planning for the development and retention of mentors.
Select mentors who are going to inspire, … that have that growth mindset to lift the next generation of teachers.
Learn from what successful programs have tried, but continue to innovate. We don’t have all the answers. We’re still learning.
The importance of mentoring the mentor and coaching the mentor. We hear from our mentor teachers that this is the most significant professional development and professional growth they’ve received.

Last word from Dr. Sarena Shivers, Michigan Talent Together

“This really can’t just be about putting people in the classroom. It has to be about redefining high-quality teaching, and improving everyone’s methodology, pedagogy, management styles, and the way that they work collaboratively with one another. I think we’re starting to see, whether we’re talking about grow your owns or about improving the state of education across the country, we need to be thinking more strategically and more intentionally about how we build mentoring and coaching models. We know grow your own works because people are committed to their communities. So bringing that together with strong emphasis on mentoring and coaching will really improve the profession for everyone.”

Resources:

Topics:

Mentoring, Retention

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Webinar

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