Today I came across the National Teaching Academy, a model that emphasizes the role of mentors or Master Teachers in preparing teachers for certification. The Academy plans to pilot its first class of novice teachers in Washington, D. C.'s urban public schools.
The program reminded me of UCSC's New Teacher Center, whose related Santa Cruz New Teacher Project has systematically graduated teachers who have demonstrated higher levels of professional competence and impressive retention rates. They follow a mentor-based induction model with critical support from individuals, schools, and districts.
With the current emphasis on ensuring highly qualified teachers in the public education system, teacher preparation programs are rethinking their approaches. In the mentor-based models which are gaining momentum, experience clearly counts.
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