Cultivating Stronger Coaching in Clinical Mentors - An Experimental Evaluation of the Mentors Matter Professional Development Initiative

Oct 15, 2026

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Despite the central role of clinical mentors in preparing preservice teachers, causal quantitative evidence on mentor-focused professional development remains limited. This experimental study randomly assigned mentors within six Tennessee teacher-preparation programs across three years to evaluate impacts on mentors’ coaching and teaching, as well as candidates’ perceptions and outcomes. The program increased mentors’ coaching frequency and instructional effectiveness, while candidate satisfaction and preparedness were largely unchanged, with only marginal employment effects.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Literature Review

The Relationship Between Mentor Practices and Candidate Development

Research Article Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis December 2024, Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 646–672 DOI: 10. 3102/01623737231183414 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)© 2023 AERA. [https://journals.sagepub.com/home/epa](https://journals.sagepub.com/home/epa) Cultivating Stronger Coaching in Clinical Mentors: An Experimental Evaluation of the Mentors Matter Professional Development Initiative Matthew Ronfeldt Matthew Truwit University of Michigan Emanuele Bardelli Santa Rosa City Schools Kevin Schaaf Metro Nashville Public Schools Brian Smith University of Michigan Despite the critical role of mentors in the preparation of preservice teachers, very little causal quantitative research has explored the effects of offering mentors professional development (PD) around how to coach and support their candidates. We conduct an experimental evaluation of a PD opportunity randomly offered to mentors within six different Tennessee programs over the course of 3 years to investigate its impacts on the perceptions and practices of both the mentors themselves and their candidates. PD significantly increased the frequency of coaching provided by mentors and mentors’own instructional effectiveness but did not impact their candidates’satisfaction or feelings of preparedness, though candidates of mentors assigned to treatment were marginally significantly more likely to find employment. Keywords: mentoring, student teaching, evaluation, professional development, experimental research Aspiring teachers typically conclude their preparation with a capstone clinical experience, often referred to as student teaching. For this experience, teacher preparation programs assign aspiring teachers, henceforth called candidates, to a school site, or clinical placement, where they learn to teach P–12 students under the supervision of the teacher of record, who serves as a clinical mentor. Given that clinical experiences often serve as candidates’ first real, hands-on opportunity to teach P–12 students in a classroom, they are particularly foundationalto the development of new teachers. Mentors in particular help candidates develop as teachers not only by modeling effective instructional techniques but also by conducting formal observations and providing verbal and written feedback as candidates attempt to put into practice the knowledge and skills they have acquired through prior coursework and other preparation experiences (Clarke et al., 2014; Glenn, 2006; Graham, 2006) . Professional Development for Clinical Mentors Although a wide and well-established body of research has illuminated the important nature of the clinical mentor, mentors report receiving very little professional development (PD) around how to foster their candidates’development most effectively (Clarke et al., 2014; Hoffman et al., 2015; Matsko et al., 2021) . Consequently, one possible way to improve the clinical placement experience—for both mentors themselves and thereby their candidates—could involve the provision of PD to mentors specifically focused on how to coach and support their candidates as they learn to teach. Inspired by this possibility, the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) developed a series of PD opportunities in early 2018 designed to cultivate high-quality coaching techniques in mentors that could better help candidates develop their instructional practice. Informed by both theory and state stakeholders, the PD, which consisted of 2 full-day, in-person training sessions and a handful of small, asynchronous assignments, focused on helping candidates develop the pedagogical practices of asking students questions and providing them academic feedback. Sessions gave mentors the opportunity not only to practice coaching candidates around these instructional skills but also to refine these same pedagogical techniques in their own teachi

FAQs

What was the Mentors Matter professional development intervention designed to do?

It provided mentors with early-2018 training focused on coaching and supporting candidates, emphasizing pedagogical practices for asking questions and delivering academic feedback.

How was the professional development evaluated?

Mentors were randomly assigned within six Tennessee programs, and the study used survey and administrative data to compare treatment mentors with a business-as-usual condition, along with outcomes for their coached candidates.

What were the main findings for mentors and candidates?

The intervention significantly increased mentors’ coaching frequency and improved their instructional effectiveness. Candidate satisfaction and preparedness were similar across conditions, though treatment-candidates were marginally more likely to find employment, especially in clinical placement schools.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by moss~