Mentorship & Teacher Retention: How Mentor Programs Impact Conditions for Retention

The unique economic and geographic features of west Texas exacerbate the persistent teacher shortage conditions of the educational landscape in the state. In this study, the researcher explores how teacher mentorship programs, specifically Public Impact’s Opportunity Culture, may contribute to improved self-efficacy, perceptions of preparedness, working conditions, and retention decisions of west Texas teachers. Through a semi- structured interview process, the researcher links the impact of Opportunity Culture mentors to mentee teachers’ overall job satisfaction and decisions to continue in their roles. The research finds that Opportunity Culture mentors contribute substantially to the levels of self- efficacy and preparedness the participants hold about themselves, resulting in positive retention outcomes for these teachers. However, little evidence in the study links the contributions of the mentors to improved working conditions on the campuses in which they work, meaning that the mentors in this study positive influence their mentee teachers directly, but do little to positively impact the broader organizational outcomes on a campus.