ERIC EJ1017586: Perceptions of a Statewide Mentor Program for New Itinerant Vision Professionals

2013·0.36 MB·English

by  ERIC

Perceptions of a Statewide Mentor
Program for New Itinerant Vision
Professionals
Rona L. Pogrund and Chrissy Cowan
Structuredabstract:Introduction:Mentoringisvaluablefortheretentionofnew
teachers. This article describes a model statewide mentor program for new
itinerant vision professionals who work with students from birth to age 22. The
resultsofarecentsurveyofsatisfactionarereported,alongwithimplicationsfor
the field. Methods: The prote´ge´s who participated in the statewide mentor
program completed an electronic satisfaction survey. Of the 76 participants who
had been assigned a mentor during the 2011–12 academic year, 56 responded
(74%). Both quantitative and qualitative questions were included in the survey.
The quantitative questions were analyzed using percentages, and the qualitative
data was analyzed and put into themes using the data analysis process of
triangulation. Results: Seventy-one percent of the participants reported having
had more than 10 interactions with their mentors over the previous year. The
topicsmostfrequentlyaddressedwiththeirmentorswereperformingevaluations
(89%), locating resources (84%), and writing goals and objectives (79%). The
most helpful mentoring techniques that were used included guided problem-
solving techniques (70%), effective listening (68%), and the provision of teach-
ing materials (57%). The majority of the prote´ge´s (82%) thought that their
mentors had definitely contributed to the quality of their teaching. The top
stressors for new vision professionals were related to organization and time
management,evaluations,andcollaborationwithothers. Discussion:Theresults
of the survey demonstrate that the mentor program had a positive outcome for
the participants as new educators. It also provided information on the stressors
faced by these new vision professionals. Implications for practitioners: This
article can serve as a model for other states that are interested in developing a
mentor program for new itinerant vision professionals, and can serve as a guide
for personnel preparation programs to address further the areas that the prote´ge´s
identified as those in which they felt the least competent.
M
entoringnewteachershasbeenshown in keeping new teachers from leaving the
tobeoneofthebestwaystosupportthem field (Boe, Cook, & Sunderland, 2008;
during their first year on the job (Billing- Smith & Ingersoll, 2004). New special
sley, 2004) and a significant component education teachers are more likely to stay
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©2013AFB,AllRightsReserved JournalofVisualImpairment&Blindness,September-October2013
in the field if they feel supported and part the characteristics of high-quality men-
of the educational community in which tors and the kinds of mentors who are
they work (Billingsley, Griffin, Smith, needed for a specific type of teacher.
Kamman, & Israel, 2009; Johnson & Mentoring is an important part of the in-
Birkeland, 2003). The retention of new duction of new teachers, but it is not the
teachers is critical, and school districts onlysupportthatisneeded.Otherpartsof
have been shown to reduce the costs of induction should include professional de-
replacing new teachers by retaining the velopment,orientation,andreducedcase-
ones they hire (McLeskey & Billingsley, loads (Hirsch et al., 2009).
2008). Recruiting and retaining qualified With the shortage of special education
teachers is one of the biggest challenges teachers, understanding how a successful
that the field of education faces. mentoring program works will assist in
Mentoring is typically defined as a rela- the recruitment and retention of new
tionshipbetweenanexperiencedandaless teachers (Billingsley, Carlson, & Klein,
experienced person in which the mentor 2004). The current and anticipated future
provides guidance, advice, support, and shortages of new professionals in the
feedbacktotheprote´ge´ (Kerka,1998).Itis field of visual impairment with the in-
a separate process from university supervi- crease in retirements by baby boomers
sion, internship, and practicum teaching, supports the need for an effective men-
andmentorsarenotexpectedtotakeonan toringprogramasneweducatorsenterthe
evaluativerole.Mentoringcanincludeboth profession (Ambrose-Zaken & Bozeman,
coaching to improve prote´ge´s’ instruction 2010; McLeskey, Tyler, & Flippin,
andsupportinbecomingintegratedintothe 2004). “Providing mentors to teachers of
educationalsystembyincreasingtheprote´- students with low-incidence disabilities
ge´s’ understanding of policies and proce- (e.g., visual impairments) is particularly
dures, and it is often the emotional support challenging given that one teacher may
providedbymentorsthatisthemostmean- serve an entire region or state” (Billings-
ingfultonewteachers(Hirschetal.,2009). ley et al., 2009, p. 5).
New teachers in both general and special The state of Texas has addressed the
education have reported feeling over- need to support new teachers of students
whelmed during their first year of teaching withvisualimpairmentsthroughaunique
(MacDonald & Speece, 2001). However, statewide mentor program that is coordi-
they often feel hesitant to seek help from nated by the Texas School for the Blind
their administrators or others who may andVisuallyImpaired(TSBVI)Outreach
evaluate them (Billingsley, 2005). Program. This program was initially rec-
Having mentors who teach students ommendedbyateamofstakeholderswho
with characteristics similar to their own were determining statewide needs for the
students helps new teachers the most education of students with visual impair-
(Whitaker, 2003). For example, Whitaker ments requested by the Texas Education
(2003) recommended that mentors be Agency (TEA) in 1994 and 1995. In
chosen on the basis of a rigorous high- 1996,astateadvisorycommittee,thePer-
quality selection process conducted by sonnel Preparation Advisory Group, was
veteran instructional leaders who know established to develop a collaborative
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JournalofVisualImpairment&Blindness,September-October2013 ©2013AFB,AllRightsReserved
framework for personnel preparation in ters,trackstherelationshipbetweenmen-
visual impairment for the state. In 1998, tors and prote´ge´s and adjusts these teams
the Education Service Center—Region if needed, collects contact logs of the
XI received a three-year contract from mentors and prote´ge´s, and determines the
TEAtotrain,support,andemploy50new prote´ge´s’ continuing eligibility for men-
orientation and mobility (O&M) special- tors. The coordinator collaborates with
istsand100newteachersofstudentswith Texas Tech University (TTU) and Ste-
visual impairments to address the short- phenF.AustinStateUniversity(SFASU)
age of personnel in schools. A mentor in matching newly certified teachers of
program for all new teachers of students students with visual impairments and
O&Mspecialistswithmentorsastheyare
with visual impairments and O&M spe-
hiredinschooldistrictsthroughoutTexas.
cialists was part of this initiative, and the
The coordinator also collaborates closely
TSBVI Outreach Program was charged
with vision consultants from the state’s
with the creation and coordination of this
20 regional education service centers to
program. In 2002, the Texas legislature
locate newly hired individuals in their
designateddiscretionaryfundingfromthe
respective regions. See Figure 1 for the
Individuals with Disabilities Education
structure of the mentor program.
Act (IDEA) to the TSBVI to support pro-
The mentor coordinator tracks the
fessional preparation for teachers of stu-
progress of entrants in vision programs
dents with visual impairments and O&M
and matches them with mentors when
specialists. Funding for the mentor pro-
they begin teaching students with visual
gram and partial funding for the two uni-
impairments. The typical scenarios in-
versitypersonnelpreparationprogramsin
clude individuals who are hired with a
visual impairment in Texas have been
probationary certificate while continuing
provided through this allocation since
their course work or individuals who are
2002, with state general revenue funds
doing their internships or practicums at
added in 2009 as a result of rising tuition
the end of their programs. Mentors are
costs. This state support has significantly
also provided for teachers of students
increased the number and quality of new
with visual impairments and O&M spe-
vision professionals throughout the state
cialistswhoarereenteringthefieldaftera
over the past 10 years, thereby more ef-
lengthy absence and for individuals who
fectively meeting the needs of students
are new to the Texas school system. If a
with visual impairments in Texas (Dig-
match is made between a mentor and a
nan, 2012).
newly certified teacher, the match lasts
approximately two to three years. Many
Statewide mentor program
new teachers of students with visual im-
model
pairments are working under a probation-
STRUCTURE ary certificate (renewable for up to three
The mentor program employs a full-time years) as they complete their vision
(nine-month)coordinatorofmentorswho course work. State law in Texas requires
selects and trains mentors, matches men- the provision of a mentor during this pro-
tors with prote´ge´s, organizes mentor cen- bationary period.
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©2013AFB,AllRightsReserved JournalofVisualImpairment&Blindness,September-October2013
Assignment of experienced Establishment of the mentor- Recruitment and selection
vision professional as the protégé database of mentors
mentor coordinator
Training of mentors Submission of names of new Match of new vision
students by universities professionals with mentors
Distribution of contact logs and Midyear satisfaction Midyear adjustment of mentor-
invitations to mentor centers to questionnaire protégé teams by mentors
mentor-protégé teams if needed
Return of mentor contact logs Payment to mentors Determination of protégés'
to the mentor coordinator eligibility for mentors for the
at the end of the school year next year
Figure1.Structureofthementorprogram.Thischartrepresentstheresponsibilitiesofthemen-
torcoordinatorandtheflowofthementorassignmentprocessfromAugustthroughJuneofany
given school year.
SELECTIONANDPREPARATION these mentors, 232 are teachers of stu-
OFMENTORS dents with visual impairments and 120
Three distinct types of mentors partici- are certified O&M specialists (62 are du-
pate in the mentor program: district men- ally certified).
tors, statewide mentors, and mentors who Individuals who are considered for
are employed by education service cen- mentoring are typically nominated by vi-
ters. District mentors are employed by sionconsultantswhoareemployedbythe
school districts and special education co- educationservicecenters.Somearenom-
operatives. Statewide mentors are self- inated by partner teachers or are self-
employed contractors who travel greater nominated. All must have a minimum of
distances to support their prote´ge´s. State- four to five years of experience in teach-
wide mentors are used in situations in ing students with visual impairments and
which a district mentor is not geographi- mustsubmitrecommendationsfromthree
cally close enough to the prote´ge´ to pro- sources: their immediate supervisors, vi-
vide high-quality support. The mentors sion consultants from education service
receive either a stipend or credit toward centers, and coworkers. O&M specialist
registration fees for TSBVI-sponsored applicants for mentoring also submit re´-
professional development. Currently, sume´s documenting a minimum of four
thereare255districtmentors,7statewide years of instruction in the school system.
mentors, and 28 mentors who are em- All applicants for mentoring must collab-
ployed by education service centers. Of orate well with their peers and have a
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JournalofVisualImpairment&Blindness,September-October2013 ©2013AFB,AllRightsReserved
history of attending conferences and pro- already been matched. Once matched,
fessional development programs to en- both the mentor and prote´ge´ are sent
sure that their knowledge is current. e-mailmessageswithdocumentsattached
Once they are selected, the applicants that will be used to monitor contacts be-
for mentoring participate in a 1.5-day tween the two. These matches are made
trainingsessionthatisheldinAustinonce as soon as the new teachers are hired, but
a year. Prior to the face-to-face training, typically occur during August and Sep-
theyarerequiredtocompleteaweb-based tember. In December, the mentors and
training course specifically designed for prote´ge´sreceivee-mailmessagesthatask
vision mentors. The web course and the for information related to the number of
first half day of training are based on contactstheyhavehadandiftheywantto
materialsdevelopedbyHuling(1998),an continue to be matched. This mid-year
expert in the fields of mentoring and surveyiscrucial,sincetheremaybesome
teacher induction. Training begins with situations in which the mentors and pro-
common problems for first-year teachers, te´ge´shavenotbeenabletomeetregularly
issues that affect the mentor-prote´ge´ or are simply incompatible. Follow-up in
teams, the Concerns-Based Adoption theseinstancesisdonebythementorcoor-
Model(Hord,Rutherford,Huling-Austin, dinator through telephone conversations,
& Hall, 1987), active listening tech- and adjustments are made if needed.
niques, identifying stages that the prote´-
ge´s may be moving through, and tech- DOCUMENTATIONANDACCOUNTABILITY
niques to support them through these OFMENTORS
stages. The second, full day of training Once they are matched with prote´ge´s, the
covers standards of practice for conduct- mentors sign a 10-month contract that
ing and writing vision-specific evalua- outlines their responsibilities. The men-
tions, legal guidelines for vision services torsarerequiredtohaveaminimumof12
in Texas, curricula for teaching the ex- contacts with their prote´ge´s during the
panded core curriculum, and vision- academic year, document these contacts,
related resources to share with prote´ge´s. and return their documentation to the
mentor coordinator at the end of the
MATCHINGPROTE´GE´SWITHMENTORS spring semester. Teachers of students
Thementorcoordinatorusesadatabaseto withvisualimpairmentsorO&Mspecial-
organize information about both mentors ists receive their own unique contact log
and prote´ge´s throughout Texas. As new when the match is made, and contacts are
vision professionals are hired, the univer- noted on this log. The O&M specialist
sitiesoreducationservicecentersprovide contact log also tracks the amount of
contactinformationforthem,andtheyare time spent, so that individuals can submit
sent e-mail messages with information these logs for recertification credits from
about the mentor program. Some new the Academy for Certification of Vision
teachers are already familiar with the Rehabilitation and Education Profession-
mentors in their area and may request als (ACVREP). Contacts may be in the
specific mentors. These requests are typ- form of e-mail messages, telephone con-
ically honored unless the mentors have versations, video conferences, face-to-face
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©2013AFB,AllRightsReserved JournalofVisualImpairment&Blindness,September-October2013
meetings, or shadowing. If the midyear visualimpairmentsorO&Mspecialistsat
survey or contact log reveals inadequate a designated school and observe them
contact,thementorcoordinatorcallsboth there. During the lunch hour on both
the mentor and prote´ge´ to determine the Monday and Tuesday, the experienced
cause.Ifthementorisnotabletoperform teachers (called “mentor center staff”)
the role for any reason, a change in men- and the observers eat lunch together in a
tors is made. Mentors who consistently largeconferenceareatodiscussquestions
neglect their role are not matched in the that may have arisen during the observa-
future. tionperiod.Mentorcentersareavaluable
opportunity for new teachers and univer-
MENTORCENTERS sitystudentstolearnaboutavastarrayof
StudentsenrolledintheTTUandSFASU
abilities of students with visual impair-
vision personnel preparation programs
ments, as well as the teaching methods
andallmentor-prote´ge´ teamsqualifyfora
and materials that are designed to work
trip to Austin to observe experienced
well with students.
vision professionals at the TSBVI and in
the Austin Independent School District Results of the survey
(AISD) itinerant vision program. Mentor
PARTICIPANTS
centersareeventsthatarescheduledthree
In May 2012, an electronic satisfaction
times every academic year. Expenses for
survey, including both quantitative and
prote´ge´sandtheirmentorstoattendthem,
qualitative questions, was sent to the 76
including travel, hotel rooms, and per
prote´ge´s who were currently matched
diemandsubstitutepay,whenapplicable,
through the mentor program. Of the 76,
are covered by the mentor program. Dur-
56 (74%) responded, 93% of whom had
ing a mentor center, the participants
been teaching students with visual im-
spend two days observing experienced
pairments for fewer than three years. Of
teachers of students with visual impair-
the participants, 52% were already certi-
mentsandO&Mspecialistsworkingwith
fied as teachers of students with visual
their students. At the end of the first day,
impairments,34%wereworkingasteach-
short presentations on children’s pro-
ers of students with visual impairments
grams are made by representatives of the
withaprobationarycertification,and20%
rehabilitation state agency. The attendees
are also given the option to tour the state were ACVREP-certified O&M special-
rehabilitationcenterforadultswithvisual ists. The survey was designed to deter-
impairments, which is located near the minethenumberandtypesofinteractions
TSBVI campus. Each mentor center be- between the prote´ge´s and mentors, the
gins at 5:00 p.m. on a Sunday for orien- predominant topics that were covered
tationtothecampusandtocreateasched- during their meetings, effective methods
ule of observations for Monday and that the mentors used with the prote´ge´s,
Tuesday. Observers have the opportunity theperceivedimpactthatthementorshad
to visit approximately seven TSBVI on the quality of services the prote´ge´s
classrooms each day, or they may choose were able to offer their students, and job
to meet AISD teachers of students with issues that were the most stressful for
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JournalofVisualImpairment&Blindness,September-October2013 ©2013AFB,AllRightsReserved
Figure2.Frequencyoftopicscoveredwithmentor.Thebarsrepresentthepercentageofprotégé
responses to the survey question referring to the topics covered with their mentors. Multiple
responses were allowed. (n (cid:1) 56).
the new teachers. The participants were The topics were presented in a list in
informed that participation in this survey which multiple responses could be se-
was voluntary and anonymous and that lected,withanopportunitytoprovidead-
they could choose whether to complete ditional entries. The topics mentioned
the survey. The study was approved by most frequently, including the percentage
the TSBVI research committee. of responses, are presented in Figure 2.
Efforts are made to match a prote´ge´ to Additional topics mentioned included
a mentor closest to the prote´ge´ geograph- braille instruction, community resources,
ically to facilitate meetings, preferably and orientation to equipment.
within the same school district. During Since the training of mentors is largely
the 2011–12 academic year, 71% of the devoted to issues related to first-year
prote´ge´s reported having more than 10 teachers and the techniques that mentors
interactions with their mentors, 52% of can use to facilitate open communication
which were face-to-face meetings, 16% and trust, the survey was designed to col-
of which were e-mail messages, and 30% lect data on which mentoring techniques
of which were telephone conversations. were the most helpful for the prote´ge´s,
Whenaskedhowmanyface-to-faceinter- andmultipleresponseswereallowed.See
actions they had with their mentors, 59% Figure 3 for the frequency of effective
of the prote´ge´s reported that they had mentoring techniques.
more than 5 interactions, and 38% re- Additional effective characteristics men-
ported that they had 1 to 5 face-to-face tioned by the prote´ge´s were largely related
meetings. tothepersonalitystylesofthementors.The
examples included being patient, support-
INTERACTIONSWITHMENTORS ive, motivating, and energetic.
The prote´ge´s were asked to select the The prote´ge´s were asked if they
topics they covered with their mentors. thought that their mentors had an impact
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©2013AFB,AllRightsReserved JournalofVisualImpairment&Blindness,September-October2013
Figure 3.Frequency of effective mentoring techniques. This chart represents the percentage
ofprotégéresponsesreferringtoeffectivementoringtechniquesusedbytheirmentors.Multiple
responses were allowed. (n (cid:1) 56).
on the quality of services they were able There were 84 comments to the ques-
to offer their students. An overwhelming tion, “What aspect(s) of your job created
majority answered this question affirma- the most stress this year?” These com-
tively,with82%believingthattheirmen- ments were grouped into nine predomi-
torshaddefinitelycontributedtothequal- nant themes, using the qualitative data
ity of their teaching and 16% believing analysis process of triangulation (Krip-
that their mentors contributed to some pendorff, 2004). The researchers worked
extent to their teaching quality. individually to develop categories from
the participants’ responses and then met
PROTÉGÉS’JOBSTRESSORS as a group to evaluate the categories for
Even though many new teachers of stu- emerging themes. They then compared
dents with visual impairments are teach- these themes to reach a consensus to en-
ing with probationary certifications as sure more reliable results (see Figure 4).
they complete their course work, they are The three top stressors were related to
expected to perform the same job duties, time management and organization, con-
andoftenatthesamelevelofproficiency, ducting evaluations, and collaborating
as experienced teachers. Since the O&M with other adults. The most prevalent
specialists have passed the ACVREP cer- stressor, time management and organiza-
tifying examination and are considered tion, included such items as completing
fully certified to teach, they are also ex- paperwork, scheduling, and providing
pected to function with certainty in all enough time to work with students. The
O&M roles and competencies. In an ef- paperwork issues included knowing the
forttodeterminethechallengesthatthese correct procedures and having enough
new teachers of students with visual im- time for completion. The next stressor
pairments and O&M specialists were ex- mentioned most frequently was perform-
periencing, the survey sought qualitative ing evaluations and assessments. Func-
dataonstressorsthattheprote´ge´sfacedas tional vision evaluations and learning
itinerant vision personnel. media assessments were at the top of this
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JournalofVisualImpairment&Blindness,September-October2013 ©2013AFB,AllRightsReserved
Figure 4.Stressors for new TVIs and O&M specialists. The bars represent the number of re-
sponses per stressor expressed by the survey participants. This question was open-ended,
and multiple responses were allowed. (n (cid:1) 56).
list, followed by statewide testing, evalu- gramsthatfocusonsupportingclassroom
ations of students for early childhood teachers. Most mentor programs are based
intervention services, evaluations of stu- on school campuses or districts, whereas
dents for O&M services, and “using the the Texas mentor program is centrally co-
CVIrange,”afunctionalvisionevaluation ordinatedbyoneindividualwhocommuni-
forchildrenwithcorticalvisualimpairment catesstatewidewithdistrictsandprograms.
developed by Roman-Lantzy (2007). The Thiscentralizedcoordinationcontributesto
third most predominant theme, collabora- a cohesive model in regard to the training
tion with other adults, included communi- andaccountabilityofmentors.Thismentor
cating with parents, school personnel, and model is based on research—it uses mate-
paraeducators. Cooperation with other rials developed by Huling (1998)—and is
teachers and acceptance of students in supported by state and federal funding
classes were also mentioned. sources. The program is also enriched by
activities at TSBVI and AISD that include
Discussion
observations of experienced teachers who
The Texas statewide mentor program for work with a wide variety of students with
new education vision professionals has visual impairments during mentor centers.
beeninexistencefor15years.Itisunique The Texas mentor program for new vision
in many ways and employs an ongoing professionalsreflectsmanyofthenecessary
process of improvement, such as with the componentsrelatedtotheinductionofnew
streamlining of clerical processes, mov- teachers, such as the matching of new
ing to totally electronic transmission of teachers with mentors in the same area of
documents, and adding a midyear adjust- specialization,thecarefulselectionandrel-
ment for floundering mentor-prote´ge´ evanttrainingofmentors,andthementors’
matches. The Texas mentor program dif- proximity and frequency of support to the
fers from the majority of mentor pro- prote´ge´s (Billingsley et al., 2009), and
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©2013AFB,AllRightsReserved JournalofVisualImpairment&Blindness,September-October2013
meets the needs of new educators in the not typically part of a school campus
unique itinerant instructional model. community of support, factors related to
Theprote´ge´s’responsestothesatisfac- isolation and information that are unique
tionsurveylentsupportfortheefficacyof to serving students with visual impair-
thementorprogramasleadingtopositive ments contribute to increased stress for a
outcomes for them as new educators and newteacher.Theassignedmentormaybe
for their students. The overwhelming themostappropriateindividualtosupport
feelings of support that these new teach- the new vision professional through the
ers of students with visual impairments provision of specialized information and
and O&M specialists received from their techniques for improved collaboration,
mentorswasevidencedbytheirresponses thus helping to reduce the anxiety of be-
regarding the impact of the mentors on ing a new itinerant teacher.
their ability to provide high-quality ser- Because of the limitations of any per-
vices to their students. The mentor- sonnel preparation program, with its pre-
prote´ge´ relationship in this program is scribed course curriculum and time con-
apparently working effectively on the ba- straints, preparing a new professional for
sisofthetypeandamountofcontactthey the realities of being on the new job is a
have with one another. Having account- challenge. For teachers of students with
ability measures in place ensures that visualimpairmentswhoareteachingwith
the needed support is being provided. probationary or emergency certificates to
There are areas in which the new teach- meet local or state needs and who have
ersclearlyneededmoresupport,includ- notcompletedtheircoursework,thelevel
ing performing evaluations, writing of confidence is even lower. Some of the
goals and objectives, finding resources, primary stressors noted by the prote´ge´s
providing appropriate interventions, who were new to their positions (such as
and completing paperwork. The infor- time management, caseload manage-
mation gathered from this survey may ment, organization, and collaboration)
also be used by personnel preparation are difficult for personnel preparation
programs to prioritize areas in which programs to address realistically until
new teachers feel the least competent. teacher candidates have an actual case-
The collaboration between the Texas load of students.
statewide mentor program and the two Mentorsandthementorcentersthatare
visual impairment personnel prepara- providedtonewvisionprofessionalshelp
tion programs in Texas serves as a bridge the gap between the content of
model of a joint effort to improve and coursesandreal-lifesituations.Thesetwo
support new vision professionals. aspects of this mentor program combine
The data gathered on the most signifi- to enable the new professionals to seek
cantstressorsfornewteachersofstudents specific information that is relevant to
with visual impairments and O&M spe- their caseloads. It is difficult to anticipate
cialists in their first years of teaching are what questions to ask in relation to the
reflectiveofthecomplexityoftheseroles. needs of individual students and the lo-
Because of the nature of the itinerant ser- gistics of the itinerant role while one is
vicedeliverymodel,inwhichteachersare just taking courses. It is when a new
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JournalofVisualImpairment&Blindness,September-October2013 ©2013AFB,AllRightsReserved