Implementing Mentoring within Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Programs
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Background
Accessible, affordable, and practice-based teacher preparation helps to increase the quality and availability of teacher candidates.1 Registered K-12 Teacher Apprenticeship programs (R‑TAPs) are an alternative pathway that can also utilize strategic staffing approaches by pairing apprentice teachers with a lead teacher or team leader.
Expanding nationwide, state education agencies and districts invest directly in R-TAPS to build their workforce. Candidates benefit by gaining classroom-based training; earning a salary to reduce student loan reliance; partnering with educator preparation programs; expanding field experiences; and providing incumbent school staff and career changes opportunities for training without sacrificing income.
These new on-ramps are intensive, necessitating comprehensive support for candidates. Therefore, mentorship plays a pivotal and central role in R-TAPs.2 Mentorship in traditional preparation programs provides ongoing instructional guidance and integrates candidates within the school culture, but mentorship for practice-based R-TAPs requires enhanced requirements and responsibilities.
R‑TAP mentors—usually experienced district teachers—help apprentices set goals, track progress, and assess on-the-job learning and competency attainment. R‑TAP designers benefit from mentorship planning. This includes decisions about mentor selection, ratio of candidates to mentors, mentor training, inclusion of teacher leaders and union representatives in decision-making, roles of mentor and supervisor in candidate evaluations, mentor compensation, and mentor scheduling.
Recommendations
The following actions can help states and districts address the educator shortage.
Review the responsibilities of a mentor in an apprenticeship program and ensure that mentors have the time, capacity, and training to appropriately meet those requirements.
Use the mentor role as an opportunity for experienced teachers to advance in their own careers without having to leave the classroom.
Consider how apprenticeship might align with other staffing initiatives, such as strategic staffing models.
- Use the guiding questions when designing comprehensive mentorship within R‑TAPs:3
- How will mentors be selected?
- What will the ratio of apprentices to mentors be? Are there state guidelines around this?
- What training will be required for mentors?
- How will the teacher’s union or other representatives of the profession be included in developing mentor requirements?
- What are the roles of the mentor teacher vs. clinical supervisor in evaluating the apprentices for licensure and/or apprenticeship competencies?
- How will mentors be compensated?
- When will mentors conduct their mentorship role during their workday?
Resources
Report
Design Considerations: Mentoring in K-12 Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Programs 
This report describes considerations and examples of mentorship in R‑TAPs across the United States.
GUIDE
Kansas Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Sequence and Duration Guide
This guide from the Kansas State Department of Education provides a sample apprenticeship plan for an R‑TAP.
Web page
Apprenticeship USA’s Education page
This page features information and resources from the U.S. Department of Labor about R‑TAPs.
Web Site
Pathways Alliance
This coalition of leading education organizations hosts many resources relevant to R‑TAPs.
References
1 The Affordability Imperative: Creating Equitable Access to Quality Teacher Preparation (Hannah Dennis and Karen DeMoss)
2 The Impact of Induction and Mentoring Programs for Beginning Teachers: A Critical Review of the Research (Richard M. Ingersoll and Michael Strong)
3 Design Considerations: Mentoring in K-12 Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Programs (Nicole Reddig and Amaya Garcia)
