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Support for teachers: One-on-one online mentoring fills a niche

In the face of teacher shortages, the search for ways to keep those already in the profession on track and supporting students has become more urgent. One solution gaining more traction: teachers helping each other online.

Second grade teacher Sara Schonfeld carries around a notebook with her during the school day, jotting down questions she wants to remember to ask Daniel.听

For the past three years, Ms. Schonfeld has had biweekly video calls with Daniel Guerrero, a veteran teacher coach with the Cambridge-based organization BetterLesson. Mr. Guerrero, who has been recognized for his approach to classroom discipline, has helped Schonfeld develop lesson plans, learn classroom management skills, and cope with isolation. This is Schonfeld's 13th year of teaching, but she is convinced that every educator 鈥� no matter how experienced 鈥� can benefit from a coach.

鈥淢y classroom really changed because of this,鈥� says Schonfeld, who teaches general studies at the Jewish day school, Magen David Yeshivah, in New York's Brooklyn borough. Her approach changed 鈥渇rom a teacher-centered to a student-directed classroom, where each student not only had a voice in the learning process... but learning also truly became personalized for students.鈥澨�

With more emphasis on teacher shortages right now 鈥� two new initiatives related to recruitment were announced in California in October 鈥� the search for ways to keep those already in the profession on track and able to help support students has become more urgent.听Mentorships encourage better student performance and higher retention rates among teachers, studies show, leading school districts nationwide to make this form of professional development a priority. Particularly gaining more traction are online mentoring programs, such as the one Schonfeld is part of.听

鈥淢entorship, teacher-to-teacher work, is powerful,鈥� says Mary Grassa O鈥橬eill, faculty director of the School Leadership Program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Ms. O鈥橬eill, a senior lecturer on education with a focus on professional development, says she learned the importance of mentorship when she was a new 9th grade teacher in Dorchester, Mass., and got help with classroom management.听

鈥淲e think we have to bring in the consultants, or introduce something new, when there is so much to be learned by teachers showing or explaining what they did that really worked to inspire, motivate, and engage students their class.鈥澨�

Mentees appreciate the flexibility of virtual mentorships, scheduling Skype or Facetime calls during either a quick break in the school day or at night from the comfort of their home. Additionally, virtual coaches offer teachers a 鈥渟afe zone,鈥� where they can openly ask questions without fear of judgment (or even penalization) from district superiors, as well as provide fresh insight from outside their district.

Most important, and similarly structured online programs like , , and were founded by teachers. They all use seasoned teachers specifically trained in the art of mentorship.

鈥淭hey know the pitfalls and struggles and they are realistic about their expectations,鈥� says Schonfeld. 鈥淭hey have been there and done that.鈥�

Mentors help with retention

According to a 2015 report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 10 percent of new teachers quit after their first year, and 17 percent quit in five years.

A study published the same year by the Institute of Education Sciences, the US听Department of Education's statistical branch, found,听however, that first year teachers who had mentors were . In fact, having a mentor is 听as the most important tool to not only keep a teacher in the classroom, but also make them more effective. First year teachers with mentors have proven to be just as successful in student achievement as fourth year teachers.

鈥淲e want young teachers to perform like veterans 鈥� We can't sacrifice three years of time for a teacher to get up to speed,鈥� says Kent Maslin, principal of Groton Elementary School in N.Y. When he was hired two years ago to turn around a decade of poor test scores, providing meaningful teacher support was his first priority. 鈥淚 like to think of BetterLesson as a microwave [for new teachers]. We are going to throw these teachers in the microwave to accelerate the process.鈥�

Although Mr. Maslin only requires BetterLesson participation among his new teachers, almost all of his staff has opted to participate. One of the most enthusiastic participants is a 17-year veteran of teaching. Schonfeld says participation in her Brooklyn school has 鈥渁t least quadrupled," since her first year with the program three years ago.听BetterLesson reports seeing a marked increase in users this year over last.

鈥淓veryone can benefit from having a great coach who empathizes, inspires, and holds you accountable鈥� But working with teachers in their first one to three years can be especially beneficial to the district,鈥� says Alex Grodd, who taught in Atlanta and the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, before co-founding BetterLesson in 2008. The professional development he received while teaching was 鈥渘ot helpful in a practical way,鈥� says Mr. Grodd, which inspired him to create the 鈥渆Harmony鈥� or 鈥淢atch.com鈥� for teaching.听

鈥淪uperintendents are working hard, but there鈥檚 a human capital and staffing challenge that is hard to solve,鈥� says Grodd. 鈥淭hat's where we come in.鈥�

Schonfeld says she has tried other forms of professional development over her 13-year career and nothing compares to听 this online approach.听Unlike the one-day seminars or workshops teachers are often attend, coaches hold their mentees accountable.

鈥淚t is consistent because [coaches] follow up. It was never 鈥極K work on this,鈥� 鈥� she explains. 鈥淒aniel will always send me things to try, send followups from our meeting, and give me feedback.鈥�

In addition, investing in mentorships saves schools and taxpayers鈥� money by reducing the costs associated with teacher turnover. A cost-benefit analysis by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy in 2016 calculated on new teacher mentoring programs. But the typical mentorship structure in schools is too underdeveloped to capitalize on these returns.听

鈥淥ne of the challenges is that most educators in American schools who serve in mentoring or coaching roles, they are asked to perform [these roles] on top of being a full-time teacher,鈥� says Liam Goldrick, policy director at The New Teacher Center (NTC), a nonprofit that has been mentoring new teachers since 1998. 鈥淭hat doesn't leave a lot of time to do the work, or do it well.鈥�

Case study: Kansas

But in rural locations, where teacher shortages are especially acute, distance can make in-person mentoring a challenge.

In rural Kansas, the nearest special ed teacher could be 50 miles away, says Julie Wilson at the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center. So when the Center was awarded a grant in 2011 from the Kansas Department of Education to implement statewide recruitment and retention efforts for special education teachers, Ms. Wilson implemented an online mentoring platform.听

Wilson chose to partner with NTC鈥檚 e-Mentoring for Student Success program (eMSS) for its years of experience: It launched almost 15 years ago. Alyson Mike, vice president of Program Strategy and Development at the New Teacher Center says the need for long distance partnerships preceded the available technology.听Launched in 2009, NTC鈥檚 e-Mentoring program for special ed is newer, but 鈥渋t鈥檚 where we have been humming,鈥� says Ms. Mike.

Six years into their partnership with NTC, 500 new special education teachers have participated in NTC鈥檚. And the success is evident: two years after completing the program 98 percent of mentees were still in the teaching profession, with 93 percent still in special education.听

鈥淭here are a lot of: 鈥榃ithout this I would not have survived my first year of teaching special ed,鈥� or 鈥楳y mentor was invaluable for me,鈥� 鈥� says Ms. Wilson. 鈥淚 have tons of those kinds of stories. It made all the difference to them to have access to someone because they are so isolated.鈥�