SB 283 Beginning Educator Mentorship Grant

High quality mentorship programs for beginning teachers and administrators are known to support educator retention and student success.

Senate Bill 283 (2023) allocates $8 million for one-time, non-competitive grants to mentorship programs in Oregon during the 2024-2025 school year. The purpose of the grant is to provide eligible beginning teachers and administrators with a formally assigned mentor who will support their professional development and improve likelihood of their retention. Grant funding is intended to continue existing mentoring relationships, as well as prioritize mentoring support for: 

  • Educators who hold an endorsement related to special education.

  • Educators serving school districts in rural areas.

  • Educators who are diverse, as defined in ORS 342.433.

  • Educators who hold an emergency teaching license.

Announcements and updates will be posted to this webpage throughout the grant application, awarding, and program period.

Contact

For questions regarding this grant, please email ode.retentiongrants@ode.oregon.gov

Announcements & Updates

  • SB 283 Mentorship Grantee Information Session (8/26/2024) : watch here.

  • Guidance for grantees on technical assistance and Communities of Practice is available here (August 16).

  • The application period for this grant is now closed (June 10).

  • Updated answers to Frequently Asked Questions are now available (May 1).

Grant Guidance

Review the Communities of Practice and Technical Assistance Guidance at this link to learn about participation in the Regional High Quality Mentoring Team and statewide communities of practice supported by the University of Oregon.

Review the Grant Guidance document at this link to learn about grant requirements and application instructions, as well as answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

The Grant Guidance will be updated and posted here as needed.

Application Form

The application period for this grant is now closed.

Eligible applicants can review the application questions and draft their responses using this template. Note: Applications must be submitted using the online form; do not send the template in an email.

District Assurances Form

All participating districts must complete the District Participation and Assurances Form as part of the grant application. The form is available for download at this link.

Grant Forms and Templates

Prior to receiving a grant, each approved applicant must complete and submit the following forms via this Smartsheet Link. 

Final Participant List: Due no later than 5PM on September 16, 2024.  

Budget Table: Due no later than 2 weeks after receiving your final grant allocation amount (mid September to early October 2024).

Mentorship Resources

The Oregon Beginning Teacher and Administrator Mentorship Program was established in 2007 and continued until its sunset in 2019. ODE maintains a webpage with access to resources generated from the program. Additional resources and tools will be developed and made available throughout the 2024-2025 grant period. The following resources are currently available on ODE’s website:

Regional Educator Network Support

Prior to applying for the grant, district mentoring programs are encouraged to connect with their Regional Educator Network (REN) to coordinate and leverage these grant resources. RENs currently provide funding, staffing, and resources for mentoring services across the state and will be convening the Regional High Quality Mentoring (HQM) Teams required by this grant.

New! Use this link to view a summary of mentorship services and opportunities supported by each of the RENs. You will also find links and contact information.

Use the links below to find updates, contact information, and news on each of the ten RENs: