The Office of Teacher Quality Novice Teacher Induction Program annually recognizes exceptional Pathwise Mentors through the Mentor of the Year awards. These mentors continually support novice teachers in a variety of ways that exceed the Induction Program guidelines.
Each year novice teachers are allowed to nominate outstanding Pathwise mentors to the local school district. The school district then selects one (1) mentor from the entire district and submits that mentor using the attached nomination form. (Only mentors who were assigned a Novice Teacher for the 2008-2009 school year will be considered for the 2009 Mentor of the Year awards.) Completed forms are to be sent to the district’s Co-op Teacher Center Coordinator for review.
All Educational Co-ops and all of the three Pulaski County school districts are to create a review committee comprised of at least one superintendent, one classroom teacher and one human resources person to select three to five (3 to 5) candidates to be submitted to the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). A selection committee comprised of the Induction Program Advisor and two Pathwise consultants will determine the most deserving candidate for each Co-op and one from each Little Rock, North Little Rock and Pulaski County Special School Districts. The Induction Program Advisor within the Office of Teacher Quality Unit Coordinator will also form a committee to select the Arkansas Mentor of the Year from the list of Co-op and Greater Little Rock winners. Mentors previously honored with this award may not be included in the nomination pool for three years after winning.
AWARDS
Each Educational Co-op Mentor of the Year will receive a $500 stipend, a certificate, and expenses paid (registration, travel and lodging) to attend a two-day Mentoring-for-the-21st-Century conference which is held regionally several times a year.
The Arkansas Mentor of the Year will receive a $1,000 stipend, a certificate, and the same workshop package.
BENEFITS and RESPONSIBILITIES
Trained mentors become better teachers by practicing the strategies they model. A community of quality mentors, in turn, creates quality novice teachers. Therefore, the Mentor of the Year winners are expected to provide up to two days of professional development assistance related to Pathwise trainer recalibration and fall update meetings for school district project directors. In this way, information will be shared on how quality mentoring is being made available to novice teachers in Arkansas. This will showcase both the Mentor of the Year as well as the quality of mentoring that is made available to many Novice teachers in the state. Each school district will be responsible for the cost associated with the Mentor’s absence from the classroom.
TIMELINE
The deadline for nominations to the Co-ops is June 1, 2009. The Co-ops’ semi-finalists’ nomination forms are due to the Office of Teacher Quality by June 15, 2009. Winners will be announced by June 19, 2009.
Questions may be directed to Ms. Susanne Williams (501-683-4382, susanne.williams@arkansas.gov) Teacher Induction Program Advisor, Office of Teacher Quality, 501 Woodlane, Suite 220-C, Little Rock, AR 72201.