While most families are in the throes of summer, the Idaho Department of Education is counting down the precious few days until the start of another school year. Like it or not, the Boise and West Ada School District are set to swing their doors back open Wednesday, Aug. 14.
And while there is much that is new in any school year, a few major challenges remain. For one, teacher attrition.
“It’s not just specific to Idaho. It’s definitely something we’re seeing across many if not all states,” said Meghan Wonderlich, Director of Content and Curriculum at the Idaho Department of Education. “So, that was a key element in why we’re doing this.”
“This" is a partnership with the Idaho State Board of Education to provide select first, second and third-year public school teachers with support and mentorship.
Before her days as an administrator, Wonderlich spent nearly a decade in as an educator in high school math classrooms. She says she knows all too well how one-on-one mentorship could be the secret to success, for teachers and their students.
“There’s a connected piece to somebody else who has had success and … quite frankly, failures,” she added. “It really connects the humanity piece of it.”
Application forms for the mentorship program are available by clicking here.
Wonderlich visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the just-unveiled program and how new Idaho teachers might be able to access it.
Find reporter George Prentice @georgepren
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