Above: Beginning Teacher Amelia Hastings (seated at desk) with mentor Leslie Dougherty.

To support mentors in their professional development, the Center for the Support of Beginning Teachers collaborates with the School-University Teacher Education Partnership (SUTEP) to provide mentor training, mentor refresher, and e-mentor training workshops. During the 2008-2009 school year, CSBT and the SUTEP Induction and Professional Development Committees sponsored an Instructional Leadership Summit for teachers who have moved into leadership roles. Online resources for mentors are also available.

Retired-teacher mentors offer additional onsite support for new teachers in challenging situations. The Center recruits and trains retired teachers to provide sustained, on-the-job coaching to new teachers to help them acquire the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to be successful in the classroom. Sample activities include team teaching, model teaching, lesson plan development, and classroom management.

The Center also publishes the booklet, Supporting New Teachers: Tips for Mentors (pdf). Tips for Mentors contains a collection of mentoring tips submitted by mentors working in the CSBT Online Support Program and are based on Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching (2007). These tips serve as a reminder of the many trials facing new teachers. The strategies, advice, and words of encouragement guide mentors in their work.