Edgewood Community Developmental School Receives $5,000 grant for Mentor Program

Credit: Wayne County Schools

“Receiving this national grant reflects the commitment our staff has to student learning and success. I commend Ms. Narron and Ms. Sanders for their role in writing the grant, along with all of the other mentors who had input in the program’s development and design,” states Tasha Christian-Adams, principal.

By: WNCT Staff | WNCT
Published: March 24, 2011

GOLDSBORO, N.C. - Officials with Wayne County Schools says the Edgewood Community Developmental School was recently awarded a $5,000 “Learning & Leadership Grant” from the National Education Association (NEA) Foundation to establish a year-long induction program for instructional assistants at Edgewood Community Developmental School.

It's a pilot program that was developed by Danette Narron and Carol Sanders. The two instructional assistants at the school wanted to develop a mentor program for newly hired instructional assistants.

“Even experienced assistants from other schools who have worked in classrooms that had students with disabilities may need additional training to handle the various roles and responsibilities that are required at Edgewood,” states Ms. Narron. “We hope this program will help newer assistants become confident in their positions, which will further impact the retention of experienced assistants at our school.”

Each new assistant at Edgewood will be assigned a mentor in order to cultivate a learning community amongst the instructional assistants. They'll meet with that mentor once a month and come to them as needed with questions or for guidance. The grant will cover costs for professional development training, such as materials or guest speakers.
Some staff will also have the opportunity to visit similar schools to meet with their teachers and assistants. That way they can see first-hand how different instructional strategies can be used in the classroom.

“Edgewood is a unique school made-up of diverse needs,” states Ms. Sanders. “Our school is also like a family, in that everyone wants the very best for each other. Our staff believes in the school’s mission and works together in a common vision to help all of our students become successful learners. We hope that this mentor program will help assistants have an even greater impact on classroom instruction, and will become a model that can be used by other schools.”

As a part of the grant requirement, instructional assistants will develop an exit portfolio and a manual to share with other educators in similar environments.