New Directions for Mentoring: Remaking the School-University Culture

Abstract

This discussion focuses on a recent innovation in mentoring that was facilitated at a school-university research site in Florida. It highlights the work of the Partnership Support Group that was formed to tackle issues of mentoring, writing, and publication across faculty lines. This collaborative project brought together teachers, professors, and administrators to study their own issues about and processes of mentoring. Participants conducted action research that resulted in a major book publication on new directions for mentoring and for creating cultures of synergy (Mullen & Lick, 1999). This article argues that guided and reciprocal learning and shared investigation can be used to promote scholarly publication by teachers. It offers strategies for developing and assessing professionally diverse collegial networks that support these goals. It concludes with 12 recommendations for conducting collaborative action research practice.