Recommendations for policy makers. One of the recommendations for the Ministry of Education and Science is to develop a policy for implementing mentoring in all schools in Kazakhstan. The policy makers may have a significant responsibility of guaranteeing the success of the mentorship programs through the policies they formulate. They may promote mentoring programs through providing the required policy support and associated incentives. As an example, they can establish training for senior teachers in order to improve the quality of help provided by mentors. Therefore, mentors would feel more confident in their positions of sharing their skills and experience with mentees. Furthermore, the policies should inculcate high standards for mentorship programs or for those participating in the programs through outlining their specific roles and duties. There is also a need to develop the mentor training programs and ensuring that they adhere to the proposed standards. While every school can have a certain autonomy in implementing mentoring programs, there should be a common understanding what is expected from mentoring and whether mentoring programs meet state standards in different schools. Another recommendation is to provide a financial support for mentors. As participation in mentoring programs adds more responsibilities for mentors to their primary duties, their work should be recognized since mentoring is not subject to additional payment in Kazakhstan. An award scheme may be established to recognize the best mentors and offer all mentors formal academic recognition such as certificates and possible promotions at the state level. For instance, Xxxxxx (2013) propose to recognize mentors through “library access privileges; awards for outstanding mentors nominated by their mentees; free attendance to particular university seminars; and other professional acknowledgements” (p.781). If mentors feel recognized for their contribution in mentorship programs, the number of qualified and experienced teachers who are willing to share their expertise would increase.
Recommendations for policy makers. The main recommendation for policy-makers is that each educational institution needs to clearly define what they mean by collaborative professional development taking into account conditions for collaboration and demands of the educational programmes. It is important to consider teachers’ knowledge and skills teachers have when organizing a collaborative professional programme for teachers’ development. This recommendation is consistent with recommendations by XxXxxxxxx et al. (2001). Moreover, it is recommended for policy-makers engage teachers in the organization of collaborative professional learning. Teachers’ voices should be included by conducting a survey or questionnaire to learn about working conditions of teachers in schools because teachers are those who participate in this collaboration and professionally grow.
