Mentor Program Information for 2023-24
Thank you for your interest in the AWSP mentoring program. AWSP is working with OSPI on funding for the 2023-2024 Mentoring Program. Funding for this program will be applicable to first-year mentees only. Once OSPI and AWSP have finalized the application process for the mentor program, we will post that information here.
If you served as a mentor during the 2022-2023 school year, you will remain on our list and are eligible to be partnered with a first year leader for the 2023-2024 school year.
First Year Principal And Assistant Principal Mentoring Support For 2023-2024
Mentor Funding Is Now Accessed Through iGrant 664 (TPEP)
Changes to TPEP iGrants 664
OSPI has announced that access to the funding for Principal and Assistant Principal Mentoring has changed for the 2023-2024 School Year.
All funding for 1st year principals and assistant principals will now be secured through iGrant 664 (TPEP funds). I664 has a new component that consists of two questions that seek to determine potential resources districts may need to support first year building leaders. It is very important that your district iGrants coordinator answer the question that asks how many fist year building leaders are in your district, and a second question that asks about district capacity to support their mentorship internally.
OSPI and AWSP will be working collaboratively to determine appropriate mentor allocations depending on the number of first year leaders and internal district capacity. The dollar allocation will be determined by need analysis based on information provided in the district 664 application and will be awarded in addition to your pre-determined 664 TPEP allocation.
AWSP will continue their long-standing practice of pairing mentees with skilled mentors and providing professional learning supports.
Mentor pairings can begin as soon as the iGrants 664 process is complete.
Important Info For Requesting Funding For First-Year School Leader Mentor Support
We have some important information regarding the TPEP 664 iGrant application. This is specific to districts needing monetary support for mentoring support of first-year building leaders. Please refer to page two of the application, under the section titled Teacher Evaluator Professional Learning look at question number 5.
If you are wanting monetary support to fund mentor stipends for first year building leaders, you
must select the “ NO” option to question number 5. Additional funds will then be allocated at 3,000 per mentor (up to 15,000) for mentor stipends. AWSP will coordinate with you regarding your pairing once your application is approved. If you have in-district staff members who will serve as mentors,
still select “NO” as this will initiate funding and the AWSP coordination process.
Please be reminded that we are only supporting year 1 building leaders with mentors this year. Please reach out
tpep@k12.wa.us with any additional questions.
Why Mentoring Matters
- The principalship is more demanding than ever. Principals are creating the culture, systems, and instructional conditions necessary for all children to achieve at high levels in an economic and social context that is complex, challenging and fraught with inequity for children and families.
Mentoring can support the development of new school administrators as instructional leaders and increase principal and assistant principal retention, contributing to greater stability in school reform efforts over time.
Resources
National Association of Elementary School Principals: National Mentor Training & Certification Center
“Since 2003 NAESP has worked with close to 2,000 mentors across the country as well as globally, to engage highly-skilled and highly-trained mentors in leveraging their experience and expertise to develop new leaders.”
NAESP’s Center for New Principals
NAESP’s center for new K–8 principals provides tips, best practices, webinars and articles organized around the themes of leadership growth and achievement; student growth and achievement; school planning and progress; school culture; instructional leadership; and stakeholder support and engagement. They also provide a Principal Help Line.
The Principal Mentor Network of New Mexico Leadership Institute
While tied to their state licensure requirements, this resource site does include many downloadable documents that can be used as-is or adapted to other contexts.
Churn: The High Cost of Principal Turnover
Twenty-five thousand (one quarter) of the country’s principals leave their schools each year, adversely affecting millions of children’s lives. This report challenges the myth that developing a strong principal pipeline is where America should be focused.
If You Listen, We Will Stay: Why Teachers of Color Leave and How to Disrupt Teacher Turnover
This report comprises authentic narratives of teachers of color and successful school leaders. For this report, researchers conducted focus groups with teachers who identify as Black or Latino who talked about their experiences in the workforce and what schools, districts, and states could do to keep them in the field. Researchers also conducted case studies in schools and districts that were selected for their intentionality around retaining teachers of color.
Taking Stock of Principal Pipelines: What Public School Districts Report Doing and What They Want to Do to Improve School Leadership
The Wallace Foundation commissioned the RAND Corporation to interview district leaders across the country in fall 2019 to broaden understanding about the prevalence of and interest in activities related to principal preparation, hiring, support, and evaluation (referred to as pipeline activities). This report presents findings from an interview effort conducted between October and December 2019 to provide a baseline description of principal pipeline activities in districts across the country. It builds on a multiyear evaluation of principal pipelines as described in Principal Pipelines: A Feasible, Affordable and Effective Way for Districts to Improve Schools.