Supporting Our Own: A Manual for ESP Mentoring Programs

Introduction

“Ultimately, the success of individuals depends upon the success of the community as a whole, and the success of the community depends on the growth and development of each member.”
—Robert J. Garmston and Bruce M. Wellman, The Adaptive School: A Sourcebook for Developing Collaborative Groups

Public education today is under increasing pressure to deliver more for less. Federal and state laws are mandating results from schools even as funding for public education is being ravaged by budget cutbacks.

Responsibility for these increased demands is falling on Education Support Professionals (ESP) as well as teachers. But, while ESP account for more than 40 percent of today’s K-12 public education workforce, they often have had to make do with inadequate or nonexistent training and professional development.

The National Education Association has been taking steps to recognize the vital role ESP play as equal and essential members of the team of educators in each school. To that end, it is seeking better training and professional development for ESP members, and mounting a deliberate effort to increase ESPs’ involvement in developing their own job definitions and work organization plans.

NEA also has begun a new initiative to assist in the development of mentoring programs for ESP, similar to the long-established mentoring relationships between new teachers and experienced teaching staff. (Here is the resolution outlining the Association’s position.)

This on-line manual is designed to assist local Associations and school districts to plan and implement mentoring programs specifically for and by ESP. The accompanying materials, downloadable as PDF files from the "Mentoring Program Tools" section, can help program administrators prepare mentors for their important roles.

"At the end of the day it’s not what I learned but what I taught, not what I got but what I gave, not what I did but what I helped another achieve that will make a difference in someone’s life...and mine."
—Sid L. Scruggs, Lions International Director, 2000-2002

This ESP Mentoring Manual is based on the NEA ESP Quality print publication, "Supporting Our Own: A Manual for ESP Mentoring Program." You can download the entire publication. (PDF, 1.9 Mb.)

Go to the next section: "What is Mentoring?