Mentoring and Coaching

"These two remarkable educators not only document the development of their own relationship from mentor/mentee to professional colleagues, they also draw from their own experiences, research studies, and the real voices of countless new teachers to provide an excellent, hands-on guide for perfecting the mentoring role in multicultural settings. Kudos!"
—Lisa Delpit, Eminent Scholar, Executive Director
Center for Urban Education and Innovation

Help new teachers thrive in culturally and linguistically diverse school settings!

The challenges of teaching in a culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) school, including language barriers, special needs, and teacher isolation, can be especially overwhelming for early-career teachers. This unique book on mentoring and coaching new teachers is specifically designed for multicultural school settings, although educators in all settings can benefit.

The authors draw from their own experience implementing a highly successful mentoring program for new teachers in a large, urban school district. The book offers practical examples anchored in the current theoretical and research base for the professional development of novice teachers in urban as well as non-urban areas. Filled with vignettes that directly capture the real-life experiences of new teachers and their mentors, this volume:

• Illustrates how to develop effective teacher-to-teacher mentoring relationships
• Raises readers′ awareness of issues that might arise from CLD differences and facilitates more effective communication
• Offers reproducible resources, agendas, and other sample materials for a variety of contexts

This timely and practical book helps mentors give new teachers the support they need to survive and succeed in diverse school settings.

Denise M. Gudwin is currently an adjunct professor at Florida International University and national consultant for the Bureau of Educational Research. She retired from Miami-Dade County Public Schools after thirty years of service, July 2008. Her past experiences in the fourth-largest school district include teacher, district curriculum support specialist, district instructional supervisor of Programs for Learning Disabilities, and district executive director, Office of Professional Development and Center for Professional Learning. Denise is the author of four teacher seminar handbooks with the Bureau of Education and Research and A Qualitative Study of the Perceptions of Six Preservice Teachers: Implementing Oral and Written Retelling Strategies in Teaching Reading to Students with Learning Disabilities (2002 ERIC 466 869); she is co-author of the Phonological Awareness and Early Literacy Assessment (Wright Group), Professional Development: Assisting Urban Schools in Making Annual Yearly Progress (September 2007 - the Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research), and A Qualitative Study of New/Early Career Special Education Teacher Retention in a Multicultural Urban Setting (Spring 2008 – Florida Educational Leadership Journal). She is past president of Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Miami Chapter 121; newsletter editor, Florida Council for Exceptional Children (FCEC), and conference chair for the 2007 State FCEC Conference; and past president for FCEC Florida Division of Learning Disabilities (DLD). Gudwin’s graduate work includes a master’s degree in reading and a PhD in education leadership with a focus on teaching reading to students with learning disabilities. Her areas of interests are literacy, student success, learning disabilities, teacher support, professional development, and research. Magda D. Salazar is currently the Special Education Chairperson and Teacher at an elementary school in the fourth-largest school district of the nation. Her past experiences include special education teacher; inclusion teacher; curriculum support specialist, Division of Special Education, District Office; professional development support specialist; and adjunct professor at Florida International University and Barry University. She is a former Rookie Teacher of the Year and is in her tenth year in the field of education. Salazar is vice-president of Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Miami Chapter 121; newsletter editor, Florida Council for Exceptional Children (FCEC); and local program chair for the 2007 State FCEC conference. Her publications include ERIC Document #491545 Review of Single Subject Research Design: Applications to Special Education and Psychology, as well as ERIC Document #491410, entitled, What Do the Experts Say about Urban Special Education Issues? She is also the author of Professional Development: Assisting Urban Schools in Making Annual Yearly Progress (September 2007 - the Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research), A Qualitative Study of New/Early Career Special Education Teacher Retention in a Multicultural Urban Setting (Spring 2008 – Florida Educational Leadership Journal), and Urban Co-Teaching Practices: A Mixed Methodological Examination (Spring 2008 – The National Journal of Urban Education and Practice). She has contributed articles to Dade Dispatch (the quarterly newsletter for Dade Reading Council); ESE Connection (ne wslett er for The Florida Council for Exceptional Children), and authored a column entitled Multicultural Corner. In addition, she was co-editor of the GATE Gazette (a monthly newsletter for beginning teachers and their mentors). Salazar’s graduate achievements include a master’s degree in reading. She is a doctoral candidate at Florida International University, Miami’s first Research I Public University. She is pursuing her doctorate. in urban/special education in the Urban S.E.A.L.S project at Florida International University. Her areas of interests are new/early career teachers, special education, legislation and compliance in special education, learning disabilities, overrepresentation of minorities in special education, literacy, and research.