Mentors use their knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning to support Cadre Members in a variety of ways such as:
- Serving as instructional leaders for their campus or district, especially in small, rural district administrations that do not have science or mathematics curriculum specialists positions,
- Encouraging other teachers to benefit from the Regional Collaborative professional development activities, and
- Sharing research-based lessons and strategies with peers.
Cadre Members participate in the Regional Collaboratives by attending 12 to 24 hours of professional development. In some cases, these teachers attend workshops along with mentor teachers, and in other cases, they receive the training directly from the mentor teachers. This mentor-cadre relationship provides a venue for key ideas and strategies on science and mathematics teaching to be shared throughout the schools.
