The Mentoring and Induction Program is rebranding for the 2023-24 school year!

March 17, 2023

The Central Rivers AEA Mentoring and Induction Program will be rebranded into, “Creating an Engaging Environment to Empower Staff and Students,” for the 2023-24 school year! This change will support mentors, new hires and experienced teachers. Course details and information can be found below.

August 10: Day one only – course #204934
Day one will focus on an introduction to Iowa’s four approaches to developing the five collaborative for academic, social and emotional learning (CASEL) competencies:

  • Explicit SEL Instruction
  • Teacher Instructional Practices
  • Integration within Academic Curriculum Areas
  • Organization, Culture and Climate Strategies

Participants will engage in learning around, “The 10 Teaching Practices to Promote SEL,” to accompany each approach and competency. Content experts will model how to embed the competencies and practices into the content. This day will have implications for all teachers (beginning and experienced) as they plan for implementing the five SEL competencies at the beginning of the school year. *This course is intended for beginning and experienced teachers (you do not need to be a mentor), instructional coaches, mentor coordinators, TLC members and administrators.

August 11: Day two only – course #204935
Day two will focus on building relationships between beginning teachers and their mentors as they develop the tools to implement an SEL-focused classroom. There will be the opportunity for mentors to enhance their coaching skills using SEL Coaching Toolkit and the 4 C’s (Coaching, Calibrating, Consulting, and Collaborating), while beginning (or experienced teachers wanting to learn new SEL strategies) dig into SEL practices and routines to be established during the first weeks of school. There will be time for mentors and beginning teachers to have district-specific planning conversations. *This course is intended for beginning teachers, mentors, and anyone supporting beginning teachers, including experienced teachers, instructional coaches, mentor coordinators and administrators.

Days one and two plus monthly one-hour Zoom support – course #204937 *(Credit optional)
This course includes participation in both days one and two’s content and a new opportunity to continue beginning teacher and mentor collaboration around the 5 SEL competencies and the Iowa Teaching Standards. For the last five years, Central Rivers AEA has created and shared slide decks to build equity among districts in the field of mentoring and induction. This course will allow for the monthly slide decks to be delivered via Zoom by a member of the AEA Mentoring and Induction team, with breakout sessions at the end for districts to utilize as needed. *This option is intended for districts that are not currently providing additional professional learning for their beginning teachers and mentors. Zoom sessions will occur from 3:30 – 4:30 pm on the following dates:

  • 2023 dates: September 14, October 12, November 9 and December 14
  • 2024 dates: January 11, February 22, April 4 and May 2

For questions or more information, please contact Kim Hurley, Consultant for School Improvement.