District leaders and chief state school officers in the Central Region are interested in expanding teacher mentoring in high-need schools. Student achievement continues to lag in high-poverty schools, large numbers of teachers are expected to retire in the near future, and state and district budget shortfalls continue to preclude many districts from undertaking more expensive approaches to supporting their teachers. This study involves a randomized controlled trial of the Retired Mentors for New Teachers program for probationary teachers developed by Aurora Public Schools (APS) in Aurora Colorado. The program uses recently retired, master educators to support probationary teachers in high-need elementary schools. Data sources will include student reading and math assessments, teacher turnover data, and teacher evaluation data.
