Here’s a gap that doesn’t get enough attention: a lead mentor or a team of talented mentors working with struggling new and early career teachers, a principal committed to retention and strong school culture, and absolutely no system for them to talk to each other about what’s actually going on.

Mentors probably have a solid idea about which new teachers are questioning whether they’ll return next year. The principal is all too aware of staffing challenges and can’t afford to lose new talent, especially after investing in their development. But they’re operating in parallel universes. Meeting separately, tracking progress differently, and missing the chance to coordinate the support that could change outcomes.

Research shows that mentoring programs significantly boost novice teacher retention and offer a host of other benefits, particularly when they include these essential characteristics. But here’s what the research doesn’t always capture: even the best mentoring programs dilute their impact when they’re disconnected from school leadership. Without structured communication between administrators and the mentors responsible for new teacher development, schools are essentially running multiple, separate initiatives and hoping they align by accident.

Why it matters

When administrators and mentors don’t have regular, substantive communication channels, critical information gets lost in the gap. New teachers can get mixed messages about priorities. Mentors are not able to align their day-to-day support with school initiatives. Administrators make decisions about professional learning or staffing without insight from the people who are engaged in the daily cycles of observation, reflection, feedback, and coaching to build teacher practice. The entire support system — which encompasses many of the conditions that determine whether teachers stay — becomes fragmented exactly when being on the same page matters most.

Elements of effective school administrator-mentor communication

Strong schools don’t leave this connection and critical communication to chance. They build regular, structured touchpoints where administrators and mentors, or mentoring program leads, engage in genuine, two-way conversations. (And some bring new teachers into certain communications, resulting in powerful triad discussions that strengthen relationships and provide clarity.)

Calibrate on trends.

Without violating confidentiality (which is paramount for maintaining trust and the integrity of the mentoring relationship), mentors have key insights on how new teachers are developing across the building. Administrators contribute observations from learning walks and informal check-ins (or triad conversations). Together, they can identify which patterns require a coordinated, just-in-time response. This helps administrators get exactly the practical insight they need to be responsive and to nurture a strong school climate.

Discuss school goals and initiatives.

Administrators share the current vision, building goals, and upcoming initiatives that will affect new teachers. Mentors connect how their coaching work aligns with these priorities and flag where new teachers need additional support to meet expectations. This ensures mentoring reinforces school-wide instructional focus. 

Review mentoring program goals.

Induction and mentoring program leads share professional learning goals, induction program expectations, and how administrator partnership will help them to be more effective. Administrators ensure this work is positioned as integral to school instructional leadership rather than as an isolated program. Together, they can examine data on the new teacher support program’s impact and adjust accordingly. Administrators also gain clarity on the mentoring approaches being used and provide input to adjust strategies and/or inform new tools and processes that benefit everyone.

Revisit support structures and protocols.

Develop a regular time to come together to review the effectiveness of observation and feedback protocols and support structures. Are the right resources reaching new teachers? Do mentors have what they need? Are timelines coordinated with mentoring cycles? This ongoing calibration prevents gaps and duplication.

Celebrate successes.

Recognition matters. Stopping to celebrate and acknowledge success builds momentum and reinforces what’s worth replicating. Both administrators and mentors need to feel they are producing results. This intentional effort helps foster a stronger sense of connection and engagement, supporting a healthy school climate.

Sending a powerful message

This structured approach positions mentors as integral to the school’s instructional leadership. And it builds community by ensuring that everyone supporting new teachers is working from the same playbook, honoring the same values, and coordinating around the same hoped-for outcomes.

This isn’t about adding meetings to already packed schedules. It’s about replacing ad-hoc hallway conversations and crisis interventions with proactive, strategic dialogue that prevents problems and amplifies what’s working.

If you’re a school administrator:

• Schedule standing monthly meetings with your mentors or lead mentor and protect this time like you would your other priorities.

• Come prepared with specific data, upcoming initiatives, and questions about what mentors are seeing.

• Ask: “What patterns are you noticing that I need to know about?” and “How can I better support the mentoring work happening in this building?”

If you’re a lead mentor/ program lead:

• Track trends across the mentoring program and bring that data to the table.

• Be clear about what you need from leadership to make mentoring more effective.

If you’re a district leader:

• Audit whether this communication between school leaders and induction program mentors is happening systematically or sporadically across your schools.

• Build expectations for administrator-mentor collaboration into both job descriptions and evaluation processes.

• Provide protocols or meeting structures so schools don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

The strongest teacher support systems aren’t built on heroic individual efforts. They’re built on coordinated, transparent, regular communication between the people responsible for growing and keeping great educators. When administrators and mentors speak the same language and work in true partnership, new teachers develop the foundation for long, successful careers.