n effective onboarding program, which includes personalized mentoring, orients new hires to their role within the district and introduces them to the District’s culture while improving effectiveness and increasing retention.
Mentors should strive to support their mentees throughout their first year in the role and/or in the district. This Round Rock ISD Onboarding Framework provides a comprehensive understanding of the various phases of the new hire lifecycle and examples of how to meet the needs of new hires during their first year.
Teacher Coach Program (Teacher Mentors in Round Rock ISD)
More Information for Teacher Coaches
Goals of the Round Rock ISD Mentor Program
- Provide support for first year employees.
- Transmit the culture of the profession, district and campus.
- Improve the performance of new to profession employees.
- Increase the retention of promising employees.
Steps to Prepare as a Mentor
- Become familiar with the appropriate section of the Role Specific Onboarding portion of this site. This includes month by month To Do’s for the new employee, ways for them to get to know Round Rock ISD, and other resources.
- Find out as much ahead of time about the mentee (new employee) as possible, especially including their start date, their level of experience, and other special needs they may have upon arrival.
- Make an appointment to meet them and begin the mentor/mentee relationship as quickly as possible. Suggestions include taking them to lunch or meeting with them during your first week assigned to them.
- Exchange contact information and make yourself available to your mentee. Don’t wait for them to call you with questions. Proactively reach out to the mentee and check on them often during the first weeks.
How to Proceed as a Mentor
- Become clear on the mentor expectations for this role as outlined for mentors of teachers (TEACHER COACHES), for mentors of principals, for mentors of assistant/associate principals, and for mentors of central administrators.
- Check on your mentee often. Phone calls and even face-to-face meetings are best in getting the mentee to open up regarding questions and needs.
- Anticipate their needs based on the time of year. If you are getting ready to take on a task for the first time within a school year, know that they will need to do that as well and could need guidance. Use the Role Specific Onboarding Guide for their position as an anchor during mentor conversations.
- Encourage reflection and goal setting. Model that thinking and utilize coaching-like questions to help the mentee think deeply about their work.
- Mentoring Tools: Principal Mentoring Thought Questions, Assistant/Associate Principal Mentoring Thought Questions