#2 - Mentor-Coach Census Survey Protocol Table

Mentor-Coach Census Survey_110411

Mentor-Coach Census Survey

[After clicking the survey link, below is the first thing respondents will see]

You are being invited to take this online survey as part of an evaluation of the federal Office of Head Start’s Early Learning Mentor Coaches (ELMC) Grant Initiative. This is an evaluation of the ELMC initiative, and not an evaluation of you, your Head Start/Early Head Start grantee or its centers.

In the survey, we ask about you, your grantee and your mentor-coaching. This survey should be completed by Early Learning Mentor Coaches.

Participation in this survey is voluntary and you may stop at any time without penalty. You also may skip any questions you don’t want to answer. The survey should take approximately 30 minutes to complete, depending on your responses. Completion of this survey is considered an agreement to participate.

All of your responses will be kept private. Your name will not be used in any summary reports that result from this survey and no comments will be attributable to you. Identifying information is requested solely for the purposes of matching information to other surveys and interviews and to the Head Start/Early Head Start PIR data.

Your participation in this survey will contribute to the development of profiles of mentor-coaching approaches to inform policy, practice, and research. There are no risks to your participation.

If you have any questions, you may contact either Eboni Howard, Ph.D. (202-403-5533; [email protected]) or Fiona Helsel, Ph.D. (202-680-0870; [email protected]). For questions regarding your rights involving participation in this evaluation, please contact the chair of AIR’s Institutional Review Board at [email protected] or toll free at 1-800-634-0797.

Thank you for your time!

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is xxxx-xxxx.

I. Your Background and Experience

To start with, we would like to ask some questions about your work, background, and experience.

1. What is the name of the Head Start/Early Head Start grantee you are working for on the Early Learning Mentor Coach initiative? [text box; 100 character limit]

2. What is your name? [text box; 50 character limit]

3. What is your job title (when mentor-coaching)? [text box; 50 character limit]

4. Please briefly describe your job role. [text box; 200 character limit]

5. Do you also currently hold another job position at your Head Start/Early Head Start grantee?

YES	
NO		[GO TO Q6]

[IF YES] What is that job title? [text box; 50 character limit]

6. How many years of professional experience do you have with teaching, training, and/or facilitating groups of adults? [drop down menu to select from 0, less than 1 year, each of 1 through 40, 41+]

7. How many years of experience do you have in early childhood education (include any work with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and families of young children)? [drop down menu to select from less than 1 year, each of 1 through 40, 41+]

8. When you think ahead three years from now, do you picture yourself working within the early childhood care and education field?

YES	
NO	

9. How many years have you been a mentor-coach, providing professional support to early care and education staff? Please include any mentor-coach experience that you had before the Early Learning Mentor Coach initiative. [drop down menu to select from less than 1 year, each of 1 through 40, 41+]

10. How many hours per week are you paid to work as a mentor-coach for this Head Start/Early Head Start grantee? [drop down menu to select from 0 through 40; 41+]

11. If known, how many of those hours per week are paid for by the Early Learning Mentor Coach grant? [drop down menu to select from ‘do not know,’ each of 0 through 40; 41+]

12. How many hours per week do you work at your Head Start/Early Head Start grantee in other work (not mentor-coaching)? [drop down menu to select from 0 through 40; 41+]

13. What is your employment status as an Early Learning Mentor Coach? (please select one)

Permanent Head Start/Early Head Start employee	
Temporary Head Start/Early Head Start employee	
External consultant (non-employee)	
Other (please specify):	

14. Will you continue to work with this grantee as a mentor-coach after February 2012? (please select one)

YES	
NO	
DO NOT KNOW	

15. Do you use any formal assessment tools in your mentor-coaching work?

YES	
NO		[GO TO SECTION II]

1. [IF YES] Which of the following assessment tools have you been formally trained in? (please select all that apply)

Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)	
Early Language & Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO)	
Adult-Child Interactive Reading Inventory (ACIRI)	
Teacher-Pupil Observation Tool (T-POT)	
Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS)	
Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS)	
Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale (FCCERS)	
Child/Home Early Language and Literacy Observation (CHELLO)	
Home Visit Rating Scales (HOVRS)	
Other (specify):	

2. Of the tools that you have been formally trained in, which are you currently using in your mentor-coaching work? [text box]

II.Preparation for the Early Learning Mentor Coach Grant

We would like to know about the training you received specifically for the Early Learning Mentor Coach initiative.

1. When was your start date as an Early Learning Mentor Coach? [Select Month/Select Year]

2. Did you receive an orientation from your Head Start/Early Head Start grantee as a part of the Early Learning Mentor Coach initiative?

YES	
NO		[GO TO Q5]

[IF YES] What was the focus of the orientation or training? (please select all that apply)

Overall grantee structure and organization	
Overall goals for mentor-coaching	
Staff roles and training needs	
Mentor-coaching structure and implementation (for example, how frequently to meet with staff)	
Mentor-coaching strategies (for example, modeling, providing feedback)	
Content area domains (for example, literacy development)	
Assessments and observation tools	
Other (please specify):	

3. How satisfied were you with the quantity of the initial training/orientation you received? (please select one)

Very satisfied	
Moderately satisfied	
Somewhat satisfied	
Not at all satisfied (could have used more)	
Not at all satisfied (could have used less)	

4. How satisfied were you with the content of the initial training/orientation you received? (please select one)

Very satisfied	
Moderately satisfied	
Somewhat satisfied	
Not at all Satisfied	

5. Have you received ongoing training from your Head Start/Early Head Start grantee as a part of the Early Learning Mentor Coach initiative?

YES	
NO		[GO TO Q6]

[IF YES] What was the focus of the ongoing training? [text box; 100 character limit]

6. What additional training would be helpful for your work? [text box; 100 character limit]

7. During your work as an Early Learning Mentor Coach, have you received professional development support (such as feedback, resources, training, or problem-solving) from any of the following sources? (please select all that apply). For all sources that you received support from, please indicate how helpful it was.

		Helpfulness of Support Received
	Support Received	Very helpful	Moderately helpful	Somewhat helpful	Not helpful
Office of Head Start	YES  NO  DON’T KNOW 				
National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning	YES  NO  DON’T KNOW 				
Mentor-coaching trainers	YES  NO  DON’T KNOW 				
State early childhood education specialist	YES  NO  DON’T KNOW 				
Regional program specialist, T/TA	YES  NO  DON’T KNOW 				
Other Head Start/Early Head Start staff (please specify):	YES  NO  DON’T KNOW 				
Other resources (please specify):	YES  NO  DON’T KNOW 				

III.Mentor-Coaching Approach

1. How many centers are you working in as a mentor-coach? [text box; numerical entry only]

2. Please identify how many of the following staff you are formally mentor-coaching as a part of the Early Learning Mentor Coach initiative? (please select one for each response option)

Early Head Start lead teachers [drop down menu to select from 0 through 40; 41+]

Early Head Start assistant teachers [drop down menu to select from 0 through 40; 41+]

Head Start lead teachers [drop down menu to select from 0 through 40; 41+]

Head Start assistant teachers [drop down menu to select from 0 through 40; 41+]

Home visitors (Head Start and Early Head Start) [drop down menu to select from 0 through 40; 41+]

Family child care staff [drop down menu to select from 0 through 40; 41+]

Administrators (specify job title): [drop down menu to select from 0 through 40; 41+]

Supervisors (specify job title): [drop down menu to select from 0 through 40; 41+]

Other administrators (specify job title): [drop down menu to select from 0 through 40; 41+]

Other (please specify): [drop down menu to select from 0 through 40; 41+]

Other (please specify): [drop down menu to select from 0 through 40; 41+]

3. Do you mentor-coach staff that speak a language other than English when working with children and families? (please select one)

YES	
NO		[GO TO Q4]

1. [IF YES] What language? [text box; 20 character limit]

2. Do you speak this language fluently?

YES	
NO	

4. Do you ever mentor-coach staff teams together (such as teachers with the assistant teachers or family care provider teams)? (please select one)

Frequently	
Sometimes	
Seldom	
Never	

IV.How often over a typical month do you use the following formats to interact with the staff you mentor-coach? Please indicate the average number of times you use these for each individual staff person. (select one response for each type of contact)

	Never	About once a day	More than once a day	About once a week	About every other week	About once per month
Phone call						
Face-to-face meeting (individual)						
Face-to-face meeting (group)						
Email						
Online messaging (instant messenger, chat room)						
Texting						
Virtual meeting (such as Skype, GoToMeeting)						
Social media (such as Facebook, Twitter)						
Video camera (such as flip camera)						
Other (please specify):						

The next set of questions is to help us learn about the strategies you use while mentor-coaching. There are a variety of strategies that you could use while mentor-coaching and it is possible that you have used some, all, or none of the strategies listed below. Our goal is to find out your mentor-coaching strategy profile, so please check the list carefully.

5. Please briefly list your most common goals that you strategies in your mentor-coaching. [text box; 200 character limit]

V.On average, how often do you use the following observation, feedback, and discussion strategies in a typical month with each staff person that you mentor-coach? (please select one response for each strategy)

	Never	1 to 2 times	3 to 4 times	More than 4 times
Conduct live on-site observation (with or without tool)				
Watch a video of staff member’s work				
Watch with staff, video of other staff members’ work				
Video journal				
Arrange for staff to observe peer				
Provide verbal feedback based on live observations				
Provide verbal feedback based on discussion with staff				
Provide written feedback on paper				
Provide written feedback via text, email, or other online method				
Introduce new skills, practices, or strategies				
Reflect on skills, practices, or strategies				
Set and re-assess goals for individuals				
Facilitate group discussion				
Staff shares mistakes/challenges in their work				
Other observation/feedback/discussion strategy (please specify):				

VI.On average, how often do you use the following practice and modeling strategies in a typical month with each staff person that you mentor-coach? (please select one response for each strategy)

	Never	1 to 2 times	3 to 4 times	More than 4 times
Demonstrate/model skills and strategies while in work-setting (in the classroom, home visit, or child care room)				
Demonstrate/model skills and strategies while not in work-setting (not in classroom, home visit or child care center)				
Work with staff to role play a skill or strategy				
Ask staff that you are mentor-coaching to practice skill and report back				
Mentor-coach “on the fly” (e.g., unplanned, unscheduled, “on the run,” or in a hurry)				
Other practice and modeling strategy (please specify):				

VII.On average, how often do you use these other supportive strategies in a typical month with each staff person that you mentor-coach? (please select one response for each strategy)

	Never	1 to 2 times	3 to 4 times	More than 4 times
Problem solve with staff on personal issue				
Provide emotional support				
Work on stress reduction				
Share materials and resources				
Conduct/arrange an on-site workshop or training				
Help with preparation, administration, scheduling				
Work as an assistant in classroom, home visit or child care room (such as help manage a child)				
Other supportive strategies (please specify):				

VIII.Of all of the strategies that you use with the staff that you mentor-coach, what would you say are the three most effective mentor-coaching strategies for changing staff practices? [text box; 200 character limit]

IX.Would you say that your strategies for mentor-coaching sessions vary depending on the staff you are mentor-coaching?

Almost always consistent across staff	
More consistent across staff than varying	
More varied across staff than consistent	
Almost always vary across staff	

X.Thinking across all your work as a mentor-coach, how often do you take on the following ‘roles’? (please select one rating for each role)

	Frequently	Occasionally	Rarely	Never
Teacher/Instructor for adults				
Crisis Intervention				
Advocate				
Technical expert				
Problem-solver				
Collaborative partner				
Supervisor				
Emotional supporter				
Logistical supporter				
Assistant to the staff that you are mentor-coaching				
Other (please specify):				

XI.Are you a formal supervisor of any program staff?

YES	
NO		[GO TO SECTION IV]

[IF YES] Are you a supervisor of program staff for whom you mentor-coach?

YES	
NO		[GO TO SECTION IV]

[IF YES] How helpful or challenging is it to your mentor-coaching work to also be working as a supervisor? (please select one)

Mostly helpful	
Somewhat helpful	
Neither challenging nor helpful	
Somewhat challenging	
Mostly challenging	

6. Do you report to somebody about overall progress that you staff are making in mentor-coaching?

YES	
NO	

[IF YES] What is the job title of the person you report to? [text box; 50 character limit]

IV. Mentor-Coaching Goals and Content

The next set of questions is to help us learn about the content of your mentor-coaching sessions. There are a variety of topics that you could focus on in mentor-coaching and it is possible that you have focused on many, some, or none of the topics we list here. Please take your time to check the whole list, so we can get an accurate picture of your mentor-coach profile.

1. Please briefly list your most common goals that you target in your mentor-coaching. [text box; 200 character limit]

XII.How do you gather information about the needs of staff you mentor-coach? (please select all that apply)

Staff self-identifies needs	
Staff’s supervisor identifies needs on performance review	
Results from child assessment data	
Results from classroom and teacher observational assessment tools	
Observations without formal assessment	
Office of Head Start on-site monitoring review	
Grantee administration chose targets that apply to all staff	
Other (please specify):	

2. In your mentor-coaching, how often do you work to increase staff’s professional knowledge in each of the following areas? (please select one response for each area)

	Frequently	Occasionally	Hardly Ever	Never
Developmental domains (such as literacy, social emotional)				
Needs of children with identified disabilities or other special needs				
Behavior management				
Needs of culturally diverse families				
Needs of Dual Language Learner children				
CLASS scores				
Other knowledge areas (please specify):				

3. In your mentor-coaching, how often do you work to increase or improve staff’s skills and strategies in each of the following areas? (please select one response for each area)

	Frequently	Occasionally	Hardly Ever	Never
Instructional practices for specific developmental domains (please identify):				
Staff use of language with children				
Staff responsiveness to children				
Teacher-child interactions				
Encourage parent-child interactions				
Engaging parents				
Implementation of specific curricula				
Other skills and strategies (please specify):				

4. In your mentor-coaching, how often do you work to improve structure and organization in each of the following areas? (please select one response for each area)

	Frequently	Occasionally	Hardly Ever	Never
Classroom or center organization				
Use or display of materials (center or elsewhere)				
Home organization, management, and safety				
Use of books and other educational materials (center or elsewhere)				
Content and organization of home visit				
Other structure and organization (please specify):				

5. In your mentor-coaching, how often do you work to increase and improve the use of assessment or technology in each of the following areas? (please select one response for each area)

	Frequently	Occasionally	Hardly Ever	Never
Overall use of technology (please specify):				
Ongoing child assessment for tailoring instruction				
Ongoing child assessment for ongoing program quality assessment				
Other assessments or technology (please specify):				

6. In your mentor-coaching, how often do you work to encourage staff personal growth in each of the following areas? (please select one response for each area)

	Frequently	Occasionally	Hardly Ever	Never
Positive interactions with colleagues (for example: teaching assistants, administrators)				
Self-efficacy, motivation, and empowerment				
Enrollment in professional development (such as training to improve qualifications)				
Enrollment in college coursework in pursuit of a degree, certificate, or credential				
Other (please specify):				

7. In which of the areas identified in questions 3 through 7 do you feel you need additional training, resources, and support to be able to bring about positive change in program staff? [text box]

XIII.Would you say that your goals or targeted topics for staff are consistent or vary, depending on the staff you are coaching? (please select one)

Almost always consistent across staff	
More consistent across staff than varying	
More varied across staff than consistent	
Almost always vary across staff	

V. Effectiveness of Mentor-Coaching

1. Thinking over your work as an Early Learning Mentor Coach, please rate your success at increasing openness to learning in the staff you worked with. (please select one response)

All staff more open to learning	
Many staff more open to learning	
Some staff more open to learning	
Few staff more open to learning	

2. Thinking over your work as an Early Learning Mentor Coach, please rate your success at improving the quality of practice of the staff you worked with. (please select one response)

All staff improved practice	
Many staff improved practice	
Some staff improved practice	
Few staff improved practice	
Not worked on	

3. Thinking over your work as an Early Learning Mentor Coach, please rate your success at increasing the appropriate use of assessment. (please select one response)

All staff increased their assessment use	
Many staff increased their assessment use	
Some staff increased their assessment use	
Few staff increased their assessment use	
Not worked on	

4. Thinking over your work as an Early Learning Mentor Coach, please rate your success at increasing staff focus on career development and pursuit of education and training. (please select one response)

Very successful	
Moderately successful	
Somewhat successful	
Limited success	
Not worked on	

[IF ANYTHING BUT “NOT WORKED ON”] Please briefly explain your rating [text box]

5. Thinking over your work as an Early Learning Mentor Coach, please rate your overall success as a mentor-coach. (please select one response)

Very successful	
Moderately successful	
Somewhat successful	
Limited success	

Please briefly explain your rating [text box]

6. What single topic or goal area did you address most successfully as a mentor-coach? [text box]

VI. Reflections about Mentor-Coaching

1.In your opinion, what top three qualifications are most important for a mentor-coach to be successful?

	Select top 3
Degree in early education or related field	
Background in working with families	
Background in teaching	
Background in early childhood education and care	
Background in clinical work (such as counseling)	
Background in management work (such as administration)	
Experience training, teaching, mentoring, or coaching adults	
Experience with Head Start/Early Head Start Programs	
Experience with Home Visitors	
Familiarity with Center/Staff or Program (worked there previously)	
Time management skills	
Interpersonal skills (such as ability to establish relationships)	
Experience with reflective practice or supervision	
Ability to provide constructive feedback	
Knowledgeable about adult learning strategies/principles	
Language and Culture Match (with staff and/or families and children	
Other (please specify):	

1. Thinking across all the staff you mentor-coach, in general what staff characteristics have been challenging to your success as a mentor and coach? (please select one for each response option)

	Never challenging	Sometimes challenging	Often challenging	Always challenging
Level of openness to self-improvement				
Level of engagement/interest				
Level of effort				
Level of ability to engage in self-reflection				
Ability of staff to share mistakes				
Ability of staff to use feedback				
Basic skill level of staff members being mentor-coached				
Level of community buy-in to quality improvement in general				
Openness of community to ‘trusting’ mentor-coach				
Relationship quality between you and staff you mentor-coach				
Match (such as personality, age, experience) between you and staff				
Other (please specify):				

2. To what extent are these systems features challenging to you as an Early Learning Mentor Coach? (please select one for each response option)

	Never challenging	Sometimes challenging	Often challenging	Always challenging
Number of staff per mentor-coach (such as case load size)				
Consistency of messaging across mentor-coaches				
Methods for identifying staff mentor-coaching needs				
Variation in staff needs				
Demands on staff time interfering with scheduling				
Lack of language match between you and staff, children or families				
Job demands from work you are doing besides mentor-coaching				
Other (please specify):				

3. To what extent are the following logistics factors challenging to you as an Early Learning Mentor Coach? (please select one for each response option)

	Never challenging	Sometimes challenging	Often challenging	Always challenging
Language of staff, children, and families				
Availability of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for staff being mentor-coached				
Availability of supplies/resources				
Availability of space for mentor-coaching meetings				
Travel issues (distance between centers where mentor-coaching)				
Technological barriers (such as internet access)				
Availability of substitutes for staff				
Other (please specify):				

4. To what extent are the following contextual factors challenging to you as an Early Learning Mentor Coach? (please select one for each response option)

	Never challenging	Sometimes challenging	Often challenging	Always challenging
Level of support from Head Start/Early Head Start director				
Level of support from other mentor-coaches				
Program staff turnover				
Families’ comfort with mentor-coach in their homes				
Other (please specify):				

5. Using your responses to questions 2 through 5, what is the biggest challenge to the success of mentor-coaching? [text box]

VII. About You

Lastly, we’d like to gather some information about you so that we are able to describe the mentor-coaches who were a part of the ELMC initiative.

1. In what year were you born? [Select Year]

2. What is your ethnicity? (please select one)

Hispanic or Latino	
Non-Hispanic or non-Latino	

3. What is your race? (Select one or more)

American Indian or Alaska Native	
Black or African American	
Asian	
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	
White	

4. What is the highest level of education you have completed? (please select one)

Up to 8th grade	
9th to 11th grade	
12th grade but no diploma	
High school diploma/GED/or equivalent	
Voc/Tech diploma after high school	
Some college, but no degree	
Associate’s Degree (AA)	
Bachelor’s degree (BA or BS)	
Graduate or professional coursework, but no degree	
Master’s Degree (MA or MS)	
Doctorate degree (Ph.D. or Ed.D.)	
Professional degree after bachelor’s degree (MD, DDS, MBA, JD, LLB)	

5. Do you have any of the following certificates or licenses? (please select all that apply)

Mentor-coach certification	
State-awarded teaching certificate	
State-awarded early childhood or preschool certificate	
Child Development Associate (CDA) credential	
Special education teacher degree	
Social work, psychology, or counseling license	
Teaching certificate or license	
Other (please specify):	
None of the above	

6. Do you have any other comments that you would like to make? [text box; 100 character limit]

Thank you very much for your participation in this survey!

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