How Informal Mentoring By Teachers Supports Student Academic Success: The National Bureau of Economic Research recently published a report on the effects of informal teacher-student mentoring relationships. The results demonstrated a 9.4% increase in postsecondary attendance for students who had an informal mentoring relationship during K-12 education with a teacher, counselor or coach, with effects being most beneficial for individuals of lower socioeconomic status.
The researchers also described how estimates of teachers’ long-run impacts on students’ academic or behavioral skills can miss the impact of sustained teacher-student relationships on student social capital, aspirations and life decisions. However, they noted that a wide variation exists among students who report having a teacher-student mentor relationship, indicating a gap in opportunity and a need for more diverse faculty.
Researchers recommend that future research efforts focus on understanding the characteristics of school-based mentors and on how teacher training and school organizational practices can be leveraged to expand equitable access to these relationships.
State Policies Supporting Teachers Across the Career Pipeline: The Education Commission of the States recently published a policy outline that highlights state policies to improve the educator pipeline from recruitment to retention. Researchers found that at least 31 states and the District of Columbia offer a pathway, program or incentive to recruit secondary students into the teaching profession, at least nine states have launched registered apprenticeships for teachers, and at least 31 states require new teacher induction and mentoring.
The following state policy examples demonstrate how policymakers and leaders can support the teacher workforce throughout the career pipeline:
- Interest in the field: Georgia’s paraprofessional development stipend program provides paraprofessionals with economic support to pursue teacher certification.
- Initial preparation and certification: The North Carolina Teaching Fellows program offers a scholarship for prospective educators committed to teaching for at least four years in public schools.
- Early career support: Delaware has a four-year induction and mentoring program for new teachers on an initial license, teachers new to the state, and teachers who have changed their area of licensure.
- Career advancement: Maine’s Teach to Lead program fosters collaboration among educators statewide and is developing standards to promote teacher leadership opportunities.
