7/17/97
ATHENS, Ohio -- A $300,000 Ohio Department of Education grant to Ohio University's College of Education and the Athens County Service Center will fund a one-year training program to teach Athens County elementary and middle school teachers how to serve as mentors for beginning teachers.
Teachers from Athens City Schools, Trimble Local Schools, Alexander Local Schools, Federal Hocking Local School, Nelsonville City Schools and River Valley Community Schools are participating in a week-long workshop on the university's Athens campus July 14-18.
"The grant is part of the federal Goals 2000 program and is specifically designed to help beginning and second-year teachers," said Keith Hillkirk, assistant dean for the college's Teacher Education and Partnership program and author of the grant. "Every beginning teacher will have a mentor teacher who will act as a coach giving feedback throughout the year. We know that a good mentoring relationship can be very important for a beginning teacher's growth and professional development. "
The mentoring program is aimed at preparing beginning teachers for a new, state-mandated assessment program in which state-trained assessors will observe teachers in the classroom and rate their teaching ability twice a year. Forty-two mentors will be trained in assessment practices and ways to develop trust and support with beginning teachers, including two teacher mentors from each of the 18 participating elementary and middle schools and six university mentors.
Starting in September, the mentors will oversee 36 beginning teachers in their first and second year of teaching and 12 teaching fellows pursuing graduate work while co-teaching with their mentors.