Mentoring Matters When Growing Your Own Educators

The journey to establish the Future Educator Pathway (FEP), formerly known as Project Teacher Development, has been a long yet gratifying one. My colleagues and my students have been instrumental in helping to design a pathway for middle school and high school students of color to pursue a career in education. The whole process began with the Color of Teaching Mentoring Program (CoT) established in 2007 and now includes the CoT, Side-by-Side (SBS) in-school seminars for high school students, a Future Educator Academy (FEA), which is a summer residential college experience, and an opportunity for high school students to take up to four dual enrollment courses to jump start their college careers. The mentoring components of the FEP are the most crucial as they establish effective mentor-mentee relationships to foster a sense of belonging on a college campus, encourage exploration of careers in education, support mentees’ goal achievement, and endeavor to diversify the educator workforce. This paper describes the development and impact of the FEP on recruiting and retaining students of color to pursue a career in education. Findings indicate that mentees who participate in at least two of the four FEP programs persist toward their goal at a higher rate, and mentors report growth in their understanding of the importance of being culturally responsive mentors and educators demonstrating the reciprocal nature of mentoring.