Mentor Teachers: Overlooked and Under-investigated
Citation (APA 7th): Parsons, S. A., Dennis, D. V., Ellis, V., Parker, A. K., Rodriguez-Gregg, L., Zenkov, K. (2026). Mentor teachers: Overlooked and under-investigated. The Teacher Educators’ Journal, 19, 70-100. https://doi.org/10.66196/LJDC1836
Seth A. Parsons
George Mason University
Danielle V. Dennis
University of Rhode Island
Valeisha Ellis
Delaware State University
Audra K. Parker
George Mason University
Lauren Rodriguez-Gregg
George Mason University
Kristien Zenkov
George Mason University
Abstract
The field of teacher education has long studied successful strategies for supporting pre-service teachers’ development. However, mentoring practices have received less attention than the nature and impact of other elements (e.g., coursework or school-university partnerships). In this article, we share the results of our systematic review of the literature on mentoring pre-service teachers in clinical settings in the United States. Themes from the synthesis include terminology clarification; the importance of the mentor teacher; characteristics of effective mentors; and mentor teacher training. We offer suggestions for future research on mentor teachers and mentor teacher practices in hopes of informing policy and practices in clinically-based teacher education.
