MPA Approved Providers

Districts participating in MPA must provide mentor training that is research-based and approved by the commissioner. Districts may seek approval for a district-created mentor training program or may partner with an MPA approved provider.  

If you require it, the Approved Providers Program Information Packet contains mentor training program information from all of the approved providers as of February 2024 in an easy-to-print format.

 

Region 1 Education Service Center

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Mentor Teacher Training and Supports

The Mentoring and Coaching Academy is a customized learning series that builds mentor capacity in supporting and growing beginning teachers. Through research-based professional learning, ongoing self-reflection, collaboration, planning, and practice mentors gain the knowledge, skills, and resources essential to providing high quality coaching and support, so beginning teachers and their students are successful. By utilizing the best mentor practices outlined in TEC 21.458 and the mentor practice standards, participants learn to develop effective adult partnerships, practice effective coaching cycles, acquire strategies for leading effective data meetings, support the beginning teacher in writing or internalizing daily lessons and creating positive equitable learning environments.

District & Campus Leader Training and Supports

The Region One leadership series supports district and campus leaders in effectively organizing, leading, and managing induction programs. Through research-based professional learning, self-reflection, collaboration, planning, and practice leaders refine their knowledge and skills to provide high quality support for the effective implementation of induction programs focused on improving student outcomes. Key areas addressed include setting a clear vision for induction programs, monitoring goals, developing clear and transparent roles, selecting, and developing high quality mentors, and program sustainability.

Examples of Additional Work in Texas

  • New Teacher Academies
  • Texas Instructional Leadership
  • Instructional Coaching

Evidence of Impact

  • Mentor perception surveys demonstrate improved mentoring knowledge and skills.
  • Performance tasks reflect proficient achievement of mentor competencies.
  • Improved beginning teacher retention rates in participating districts.
  • Mentors report improved student outcomes of beginning teachers mentored.

Region 10 Education Service Center

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Mentor Teacher Training and Supports

The Region 10 Mentor Teacher Program has been tailored to integrate evidence-based best practices from high-performing campuses across our state and region. With an emphasis on job embedded PD, implementation support, and coaching, this program strategically prepares LEA mentor teachers to guide and support new educators with the needs of their local setting driving program outcomes.

District & Campus Leader Training and Supports

Region 10 consultants work directly with your LEA administrators to ensure program outcomes are uniquely tailored to your local demographics, staffing patterns, and schedules. As an extension of our direct work with mentor teachers, our experts also guide district and school administrators through their own set of action steps to ensure fidelity of implementation while simultaneously cultivating a culture that supports collaboration and student success.

Examples of Additional Work in Texas

  • Region 10 has a proven, multi-year track record supporting mentor teacher and new teacher programs.
  • Region 10 has a number of successfully aligned and systemic LEA job-embedded supports such as TIL, ESF, School Improvement, C&I, HQIM, and Multilingual Cohorts.
  • Region 10 has a data-backed history of delivering school-wide services and training that result in improved student outcomes.

Evidence of Impact

  • Region 10 has supported 23 LEAs through our Mentor Program over the last five years.
  • Survey data showed that 87% of mentors and 84% of mentees found the Mentor Program provided mentors with skills to support first-year teachers.
  • 5 of 6 LEAs participating in the 2021 cohort showed STAR performance growth at the “Meets Level.”

New Teacher Center

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Mentor Teacher Training and Supports

Through New Teacher Center’s mentor and induction training program, participants learn the critical knowledge, skills, and tools to initiate and maintain effective mentoring relationships with novice teachers that result in instructional growth. NTC provides three days of professional learning, which can be offered virtually or in-person, focused on high-leverage strategies and tools that support teacher growth. Topics include an introduction to coaching, planning to support equitable instruction, and analyzing student learning. NTC also offers forums, which serve as opportunities for mentors to collaborate, reflect, and plan for application.

District & Campus Leader Training and Supports

NTC provides ongoing professional learning opportunities to district and campus leaders to define a long-term strategy and evaluation plan for induction programs. Through one 3.5-hour session and five optional communities of practice, which can be offered virtually or in-person, district and campus leaders will have the opportunity to explore topics such as: the key components of high-quality mentoring programs; data-based implementation practices; calibrating effective instructional practice; effective collaboration structures such as professional learning communities or instructional leadership teams; and observation and feedback cycles.

Examples of Additional Work in Texas

  • Teacher induction support to Bastrop ISD, San Antonio ISD, Seguin ISD, and University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).
  • Instructional coaching support in Aldine ISD, Clint ISD, Fort Worth ISD, and the University of Houston on topics such as early learning, curriculum implementation, and supporting multilingual learners.
  • NTC supports six partners across Texas in developing strategic plans around learning acceleration and academic recovery through TEA’s Resilient Schools Support Program.

Evidence of Impact

  • In federal study, students of NTC supported teachers gained up to five months of additional learning in math and ELA compared to the students whose teachers received traditional district support.
  • After two years of NTC-supported coaching services in one supported district, the retention rate of new teachers increased by 22 points to 94 percent.

National Institute for Excellence in Teaching

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Mentor Teacher Training and Supports

The NIET Mentor Training provides mentor teachers with the skills and knowledge needed to deepen their teacher leadership expertise. Through specific structures and processes learned in the training combined with follow-up coaching and support, mentors apply strategies to build relationships with mentees, set goals based on student and teacher data analysis, and collect evidence to provide high-quality feedback. Mentors are trained to support teacher growth grounded in a shared set of teaching standards. Mentor Teachers strategically create an individual growth plan for each teacher, ensuring that the needs of their mentees are acknowledged, supported, and met.

District & Campus Leader Training and Supports

NIET provides onsite, district and campus-based observation, coaching, and consultation. The focus of the district and campus leaders’ support is targeted to best mentoring practice and/or a component of the mentor training. Support is provided through onsite visits conducted by a NIET specialist and customized to the needs of each district or school based on where they are with implementing their district mentor and induction programs.

Examples of Additional Work in Texas

  • Teacher Leadership Grant Cycles 1 and 2
  • Vetted Improvement Program Provider: Effective Schools Framework
  • Strong Foundations Planning and Implementation Approved Provider
  • Teacher Incentive Allotment Approved Provider

Evidence of Impact

  • Over three years, 83% of beginning teachers agree or strongly agree that their mentor teachers have had a positive impact on their teaching.
  • Over two years, 89.5% of mentor teachers agree or strongly agree that they helped increase their beginning teachers' overall effectiveness in teaching and facing the realities of the classroom.
  • 91% of training participants strongly agree or agree, “This training was relevant to my current work.”
  • After one year of implementing MPA, one district supported by NIET saw improvement in their beginning teacher's retention rate from 70% to 82%.

Resources for Learning

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Mentor Teacher Training and Supports

Join our engaging mentoring and coaching training to actively learn skills such as building trust and rapport; listening, pausing, and paraphrasing; and asking mediative questions. Learn to apply these skills in informal settings as well as in more formal learning opportunities based on beginning teachers’ actual work. We will support you on an ongoing basis through assessments, focused conversations, and reflections on your work.

As one of the oldest beginning teacher support providers in the country, we have developed efficient ways to work collaboratively with districts to provide customized coaching support. Using the same skills and strategies taught in mentor training, facilitators provide support to mentors and mentees based on the needs of the individuals involved. We also provide group sessions for mentors and beginning teachers in which they have opportunities to apply new learning.

District & Campus Leader Training and Supports

Practical and effective are two of the words that have been used to describe Scaffolded Solutions’ administrator training. Administrators learn ways that a strong induction program can save them time and money. They also learn the important roles they play in the success of beginning teachers and the development and sustainability of a strong mentoring program.

Examples of Additional Work in Texas

  • Approved provider for Texas COVID Learning Acceleration Supports Decisions 7, 8, and 11
  • Approved provider for Strong Foundations
  • Prime contractor for multiple TEA contracts in Career and Technical Education (CTE)
  • Six years monitoring Texas ACE (out-of-school time programs)

Evidence of Impact

  • In six years leading TxBESS, RFL was responsible for training over 10,000 mentors in high needs schools, resulting in significantly higher retention rates than the state overall and in the retention of high school teachers and teachers of color.
  • Principals found that beginning teachers supported through Scaffolded Solutions performed better than new teachers and had better classroom management.
  • In 16 districts served up to six years, at least 97% of beginning teachers were retained.

Texas Education THRIVE

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Mentor Teacher Training and Supports

Texas Education THRIVE combines the research-based expertise of UT faculty with proven mentoring strategies designed by exceptional practitioners, ensuring that mentors receive high quality learning experiences to strengthen their practice, implementation support in the field, and ongoing feedback for continuous improvement. The mentor competencies are grounded in the THRIVE framework, which includes four domains: transformational mindsets, coaching expertise, strong instructional practices, and navigating systems. Aligned with TEA mentor requirements, these domains prepare new and experienced mentors for their role in supporting a beginning teacher. A unique feature of the THRIVE model is a mentor PLC where mentors work together to reflect, collaborate, and solve problems of practice in community with their peers.

District & Campus Leader Training and Supports

THRIVE recognizes that school and district leaders also play an essential role in beginning teacher development and in supporting mentoring activities. THRIVE engages leaders in sustainability exercises that help to strengthen approaches to coaching, master scheduling, staffing, and budget in ways that intentionally align to the THRIVE framework. Our partner districts engage in a readiness assessment and gap analysis that help to craft a district and campus specific approach to build upon collective strengths.

Examples of Additional Work in Texas

  • Texas Education START in Austin ISD
  • Texas Education THRIVE in Del Valle ISD
  • Power in Partnerships in Manor ISD

Evidence of Impact

  • 90% of beginning teachers in our program are retained in education.
  • 95% of participants show continuous growth on their professional appraisal.
  • 90% of eligible participants choose to return to the program for a second year.
 

ESC 18 - TxCEE

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Mentor Teacher Training and Supports

The TxCEE Mentoring Program provides training and coaching to mentor teachers who then in turn provide one-on-one support to beginning teachers that is unique to their experiences in teaching, which can come in the form of planning, observing, modeling, or guiding reflection. Both beginning teachers and mentor teachers engage in ESC 18-TxCEE’s job-embedded System for Effective Educator Development (SEED) structure of professional learning networks with their peers. TxCEE Mentoring empowers the mentor teacher with the knowledge and training needed to provide beginning teachers with intensive and individualized coaching, mentoring, and support.

District & Campus Leader Training and Supports

The TxCEE Mentoring Program supports campus and district leaders in planning for and implementing an effective program through training and coaching. Administrators receive training on effective implementation systems and practices, such as communication strategies, mentor recruitment and matching, and providing adequate mentoring time and resources, as well as progress monitoring tools designed to provide support to mentor and beginning teachers. Training is followed by monthly coaching that focuses on both implementation fidelity and teacher supports.

Examples of Additional Work in Texas

  • Teacher Incentive Allotment Approved Provider
  • Strategic Staffing Approved Provider
  • Teacher Leadership Pathways through federal grant projects
  • Mentoring support through federal grant projects

Evidence of Impact

  • 74% retention rate across five years (2019-2023)
  • 77% novice teacher effectiveness across all districts over the five years
  • In 2021-22, 100% of mentor teachers in one large urban Texas district responded that TxCEE’s coaching and support was useful/very useful
  • In 2021-22, beginning teachers agreed/strongly agreed that their mentors provided relevant and timely support (85%) and addressed their overall well-being (85%).