Stronger States, Stronger Outcomes

Building Mentor Supports for Delaware’s Educator Apprenticeship Program
Teacher apprenticeship programs depend on mentor teachers who can turn classroom experience into meaningful instructional growth. Delaware will share how it is building an “arc of support” for mentors in its Educator Apprenticeship Program, which combines paid, school-based experience with certification coursework. In partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center, the Delaware Department of Education is co-designing mentor tools, resources, and a support framework intended to strengthen apprentice success and support statewide scale. The work also brings together the Department of Labor, local education agencies, and educator preparation programs. Participants will leave with practical lessons, a sample mentor support framework, and implementation considerations for strengthening mentor capacity within new or existing teacher apprenticeship programs.

Building a Coherent Statewide Mentorship System in North Carolina
Featuring: NC Mentorship is most effective when expectations, roles, and supports are clear across programs and settings. North Carolina will share how it is redesigning mentorship as a coherent statewide system to strengthen early-career teacher retention and prepare for a proposed registered apprenticeship pathway. In partnership with the Center on Strengthening and Supporting the Educator Workforce, BEST NC, and local education agencies, the state is mapping mentor roles, identifying gaps, developing role-specific frameworks, and creating modular training and statewide implementation tools. The work also centers practitioner input and continuous improvement to support quality and scale. Participants will learn how North Carolina is aligning mentorship across existing programs, clarifying supervision expectations, and building an infrastructure that can support future educator workforce strategies.