How to improve organizational functionality through distributive leadership? Essay

A building level, leadership driven mentoring program can significantly improve the organizational functionality through distributive leadership. In that teachers are sanctioned to assist the principal as the leaders in curriculum and instruction. Preparation programs time and again fail to translate successfully into classrooms (Panesar, 2010). Beginning teachers graduate from an educational preparation program and are expected to effectively teach and carry out other teacher responsibilities in their first year. To bridge the gulf that exists for teachers as they enter the workforce, districts and institutions must create programs to effectively support new teachers to ensure success in the classroom. Given the conditions detailed above, a school wide mentoring program must address both the mentees and mentors. Training mentors to be effective mentors is the first step. Bearman defines mentoring as an interpersonal relationship that is made up of a series of focused, collective partnerships (2007). An effective mentoring program, in the current context, must align this vision in planning and implementation. School leaders must address the working conditions before any true mentoring can take place. A series of planned collaboration workshops or social, non-curricular activities may also assist in the creation of a collegial, collaborative work environment.
The Alliance for Excellent Education outlined a plan for a successful mentoring program in which structured mentoring from a rationally designated educator or educators who teach in the same discipline as the new educator, are qualified to train new teachers, and can increase the value of a mentee's instruction. Mentors monitor and support the practices of beginner teachers by observing them in the classroom, offering suggestions or advice, indicating effective teaching strategies, assisting with lesson plans, and helping teachers analyze student evidence and achievement data to improve their instruction. (2004). By understanding roles, mentors and mentees can begin to collaborate on strategies and activities that will assist in effective instruction.
Another identified component of an effective mentoring program is common planning and scheduling considerations. Clark and Byrnes conducted an evaluation of the opinions of beginning teachers in respect to the mentoring received throughout their first year teaching. The results showed that beginning teachers who received both common planning time with their mentors and release time to observe other teachers regarded the mentoring experiences they had as considerably more supportive as beginning teachers who were not provided these mentoring supports (2012). Common planning allows for mentors and mentees to meet informally to discuss accomplishments and to monitor and adjust teaching and mentoring strategies. According to Hartsell, Herron, Fang, and Rathod, (2009), "allowing teachers to interact within a professional setting that permits them to observe, communicate, and share ideas and concerns are important for change to occur" (p. 62). Allowing beginning teachers opportunity to conduct learning walks into other classrooms enables them to observe best practices in other classrooms. Also, it is valuable for a beginning teacher to see other classroom dynamics and how other teachers handle challenges. This can increase a beginning teacher's confidence and self-esteem as well empowering and motivating them as educators.