Tennessee Association of Independent Schools (TAIS) Mentorship Analysis

Abstract

The Tennessee Association of Independent Schools (TAIS) is a non-profit organization that advocates for and supports independent schools in Tennessee. TAIS sought to understand the current state of mentorship in their 61 member schools, intending to provide tailored resources to these schools. We conducted a mixed-methods explanatory sequential study to understand how mentorship is defined across TAIS schools, the extent to which TAIS schools utilize adult-student mentoring programs in grades 5-12, and the perceived outcomes of adult-student mentorship programs in TAIS schools. We surveyed 300 educators and interviewed educators at three case study schools. Key findings include the following: 1) School characteristics, such as boarding, non-sectarian affiliation, and regional location, influence mentorship participation and program type–group advisory, one-to-one mentorship, and opt-out. 2) Relationships are the definition and the outcome of these mentorship programs. 3) Multiple goals of mentorship influence implementation challenges such as training, time, and structure. 4) With supports lacking, opportunity costs are high, particularly in the area of teacher capacity and bandwidth.