Mentor Training Institute for Principals
(Also
called the Kennedy Principal Fellows)
A program
designed to train and develop
principals, statewide, who have the
knowledge, skills, and disposition
to become effective mentors for
novice principals.
Links to
Content:
Demonstration Site:
The
Education Partnership
Target Population:
Experienced principals from across Rhode Island. (NOTE:
At first, The
Education Partnership designed the Institute for those with
more than three years experience; however, they accepted all
interested principals and a few assistant principals. The rationale
was that this is high quality professional development for all
school leaders, regardless of number of years on the job.)
Need and Intent:
The design of The
Education Partnership’s program for aspiring principals,
the
Principal
Residency Network (PRN), is such that the success of the
program depends on the quality of the mentoring received by
teachers preparing for principal-ships in a year long school
based residency with established principals. It became apparent
at the start of
PRN
that many principals had no formal background in the skills
of coaching and/or mentoring or in the
Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards.
The intent of the Education Partnership’s Mentor Training
Institute for Principals and the
Novice
Principal Network (see the Network’s toolkit here)
is to build on and expand the work of the
Principal
Residency Network by linking two components, preparation
and support in the first years serving as school leaders. One
of the most powerful ways a beginning principal can survive
and be effective is to find a mentor or network of “like-minded”
administrators to ease the transition into the position.
The Mentor Training Institute is a thirty-six hour course open
to all K-12 principals in R.I. The Institute focuses on best
practice and mentor training. The Institute helps participants:
- gain the knowledge and skills necessary to develop leadership
capacity in their own educational community;
- become effective mentors;
- become more effective and reflective school leaders; and
- belong to a statewide network/cohort.
Implementation Process:
- Convened a group of stakeholders to develop standards for
principal mentors. Stakeholders included practicing principals,
principals in training, higher education representatives,
education partner organizations, and state education leaders.
- Adopted the
Interstate
School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards
as a focus of the training of all mentor principals.
- Adopted
five
mentor standards in addition to ISLLC’s.
- Designed a Mentor Institute curriculum and delivery logistics
with three principals and one assistant superintendent (along
with the
Education Partnership Project Director) one year before
the Institute was held. Having five curriculum developers
who then served as instructors of the Institute (representing
elementary through high school) seemed daunting at first but,
in retrospect, it was the right combination, and the program
was much richer as a result. The five instructors’ individual
voices each added something different. Two of the developers/instructors
were themselves a mentor/mentee team.
- Advertised the Institute through a statewide distribution
of promotional information to all superintendents and principals
and through the Rhode
Island Association of School Principals listserv.
Click
here to read the invitation.
- Held the Mentor Training Institute over four weekends in
October, November, February and March 2004-2005.
Click
here to view the syllabus.
Click
here to view sample agendas from the first and second years
of the Institute.
- Conducted a
follow-up
survey with participants from year one to determine the
extent to which they are using what was learned and if follow-up
sessions would be helpful. The current plan is to combine
year one and year two participants in a follow-up session.
Tips for Implementation:
- In talking about standards, demonstrate and talk about
what each looks like and what it doesn’t look like in
practice.
- Be sure that anything generated by the group at training
sessions is typed up and given to them at the next session
so that they don’t feel obligated to take notes and
can be more involved.
- Due to a reduction in funds, the second year format was
changed to day long Saturday sessions which tended to be harder
for people to accommodate in their schedules. The weekend
retreat format, while expensive, worked better for people
and was well worth it. The relationships formed were such
that groups continued to meet the following year and most
are now participating in critical friends groups.
Case Study:
Click
here to read testimonies of participants in the Mentor Training
Institute. 
Program Components and Materials:
Contact for More Information:
Name: Donna Vigneau-Carlson
Job Title: Vice President of Leadership
Role in Project: Directs all project activities
Phone: (401) 331-5222 x 107
E-mail: dvc132@cox.net
Address: 345 South Main St., Providence, RI 02903