Full-time mentors are released from any teaching duties so they can focus all their energy on helping the new teachers have a successful start. They range from around 10 years of experience to 30 plus.

Funding for the program is provided through specific federal grant funds, and is not money that could be used for regular teacher salaries.

Michelle Fredericks, a first-year teacher at Kaysville Elementary, met her mentor the week before school started. She has had help with everything from setting up the classroom to planning lessons.

"School and student teaching can't even begin to prepare you for this," said Fredericks. "It's been helpful to know that they are coming and they will do anything you want them to do, correct papers or just anything to help you stay on top of it — as a brand-new teacher it is very overwhelming."

The mentors attend training each week and collaborate on ways to help new educators. They spend at least 1 1/2 hours per week with each first-year teacher.

Davis is basing its program on the program developed by the New Teacher Center at the University of California at Santa Cruz, which has been developed, tested and refined for more than 16 years, said Pead. It has been used by some 125 districts in California and numerous other states and has proven effective in making new teachers successful in helping students learn.

The bottom line is really student learning, for students to learn from effective teachers and be successful, said Pead. "Our secondary aim of course is to retain teachers (and get them) to be capable, happy and successful."

After three years the mentors will return to the classroom and new mentors will be trained.

Currently the requirement for districts to have teacher mentors is unfunded. However, the state recently received $300,000 in federal funds that will go to the districts for mentor training.

"In 10 years we are going to have a staffing crisis in Utah and anything we can do to stop teachers from leaving the profession, we are going to do," said Patterson.

---

E-mail: terickson@desnews.com