EducatorsEmpowering

Cultivating Excellence through Special Educator Mentorship

Crosby Miller

In recent years, numerous surveys have been conducted on exiting special education teachers to determine the leading factors that contribute to the overwhelming number of teachers leaving the field. These surveys showed that most of these educators left the profession due to a lack of support. Therefore, to combat the national teacher shortage, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) has taken a hands-on approach to enhance the support of its teachers and to build teacher retention in the field of special education.

The New Special Education Teacher Mentoring Program was implemented as a response to the Teaching and Leading Solutions Group’s (TLSG) specific focus on recruiting, preparing and retaining effective teachers. As the MDE Mentor Program Director and a member of the TLSG, Stacey Todd believes the mentoring program directly addresses the teacher shortage: “The ultimate goal for me is to improve student outcomes and to keep our teachers. If we can’t keep teachers, we can’t improve student outcomes.”

For development and technical sup- port on this project, the MDE partners with the Research and Curriculum Unit (RCU) at Mississippi State University. The RCU’s Professional Learning team brings experience in building sustainable coaching and mentoring programs. RCU Project Manager Tara Jackson says, “The goal of the mentoring program is to assist school districts in creating their own support systems that foster ongoing professional development for teachers entering the field of special education.”

Participating districts are engaged in a two-year program, working with new special education teachers, veteran special education teachers and district leadership, which includes both principals and special education directors.

“Year one of the program,” Todd says, “is focused on information and relationship building. New teachers are working on foundational teaching skills that are needed in special education. Mentors and administrators focus more on effective coaching and mentoring. Our goal is to help them learn all about the program, to get to know them, and to build those relationships and trust with them.” After building a solid foundation in year one, participants move into year two where the approach becomes tailored and specific to each district. Todd explains, “Year two is moving more into what tools the districts need to sustain an effective mentoring program on their own. In the second year, we focus on how they grow to the next level and take ownership of their own learning.”

Throughout the program, the new teachers, mentors and administrators in the participating school districts engage in professional learning centered around the High Leverage Practices (HLPs), which address the most critical practices that every K-12 special education teach- er should master. Their learning is also centered around the Professional Growth System (PGS) for Special Education, which is intended to provide districts with data to strengthen decision-making and to ensure that special education teachers are better prepared, supported and retained to improve reading and learning for all students. They are also invited to participate in monthly virtual trainings as well as in-person training sessions each semester where they are provided opportunities to collaborate and plan with their district. For each of these trainings, the professional develop- ment is tailored to each person’s role in the program and in their school district.

The new special education teachers in the program are instructors who have less than two years of experience in the field. Todd describes their sessions as “using the HLPs to provide them with the instructional skills they need to add to their toolbelt for implementing effective instruction and ultimately improving student outcomes.”

The mentors are veteran teachers with more than three years of experience in special education. Their learning is focused on both HLPs and the PGS standards. Additionally, the mentors participate in a two-day boot camp at the start of the school year. Jackson shared that this boot camp emphasizes the significance of mentorship and the value of conversations that foster personal growth and independent thinking, enabling mentees to develop a robust skillset for their teaching careers. The mentors are also supported by a coach, who assists the mentors as they learn about and engage in the five roles of an effective mentor. The coach brings experience in mentoring and can make school visits to the mentor and customize the support that is provided. As a coach, Jackson reflects on her experience with the program saying: “I enjoy collaborating with mentors to discuss their individual goals and the outcomes they aim to achieve during the mentoring program. Each participant can carve out their own path, and it’s rewarding to assist them in developing new skills and reaching their objectives.”

The administrator group includes special education directors and principals. Todd shared, “Our goal with administrators is to help them be instructional leaders with their special education team and to help them see the importance in a systematic mentoring program that has goals in working with mentors and new teachers. We have a unique opportunity to teach principals