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Region 9 Education Service Center

Every learner. Every opportunity. Every day.

PREP Program Allotments | LASO 5

PREP Allotment Programs | LASO Cycle 5 Strategic Talent Systems

The Preparing and Retaining Educators through Partnerships Program (PREP) Allotment comprises five programs designed to strengthen the teacher talent pipeline through recruitment, preparation, and mentorship. The PREP Allotment provides funding for districts to participate in the Texas Mentorship Training through four different PREP Programs: PREP Residency Preservice, PREP Traditional Preservice, PREP Alternative Preservice, and PREP Mentorship.

LASO Cycle 5 provides funding for five PREP Allotments that build and strengthen the teacher talent pipeline.

The allotments establish consistent funding to districts to support their aspiring teachers and mentoring educators every year. Ultimately, this investment in educators' recruitment, preparation, and mentorship will lead to improved teacher retention, increased teacher effectiveness, and enhanced overall student outcomes.

 

Doug De­Bord

Director of Career Pathways Support

Dr. Kathy Scherler

Texas Mentorship Training Fellow

Funds to hire a teacher resident to work in a K-12 classroom year-long with a host teacher while earning certification.

Funds range from $24,00-$39,500 per resident.

Funds to support paraprofessionals, substitutes, and other employees in earning a teaching certificate.

Funds range from $8,000-$12,000 per staff

Funds to support beginning teachers by pairing them with a well-trained mentor teacher.

Districts will receive $3,000 per beginning teacher, with $1,000 allocated to the mentor teacher stipend.

Funds to place paid teacher candidates in classrooms led by experienced cooperating teachers and intern mentor teachers.

Funds range from $10K to $21.5 K per candidate, for up to 80 candidates annually, across the PREP Traditional Preservice and PREP Alternative Preservice programs.

Funds to support paid student teaching partnerships between school systems and SBEC-approved EPPs.

Funds range from $10K to $21.5K per candidate for up to 80 candidates annually across the PREP Traditional Preservice and PREP Alternative Preservice programs.

PREP Mentorship Program

The Texas Mentorship Training logo features colorful diamond shapes and text.

The PREP Mentorship Program provides funding through which participating school systems implement a mentoring program that meets statutory requirements via the Texas Mentorship Training (TMT). The overarching goals of the PREP Mentorship Program are to increase beginning teacher retention and effectiveness, ultimately leading to increased student outcomes through strong mentorship. As part of the PREP Mentorship Program, mentor teachers will engage in high-quality, research-based mentorship training, building upon their leadership skills to provide strong mentoring to beginning teachers in their first and second years. As part of the PREP Mentorship Program, district and campus leaders will also engage in mentorship program design and implementation sessions to fulfill training requirements. Additionally, school systems also engaging in PREP Preservice Residency Program will provide TMT Pathway 1 training to their residency host teachers.

Mentorship Training Pathways

The Texas Mentorship Training includes two pathways, each designed to support different roles in mentoring programs:

Pathway 1: Mentoring Educators – Equips teachers who directly mentor teacher residents or early-career educators with the knowledge and skills to support effective classroom practice. Training topics for Mentor Teachers (provided by the ESC Mentor Fellow) are grounded in teacher pedagogy standards and instructional leadership practices. Topics include:

  • Effective Mentoring Partnerships and Behaviors
  • Co-Teaching Practices
  • Learning Environment
  • Instructional Preparation
  • Data-Driven Instructional Practices

Pathway 2: Campus and District Leaders – Builds the capacity of school and district leaders to create, implement, and sustain impactful mentoring programs. Training topics for district and campus leaders (provided by the ESC Mentor Fellow) focus on program design, implementation, and long-term sustainability. Topics include:

  • Vision-Setting and Performance Management
  • Mentor Recruitment, Selection, and Assignment
  • Mentor Training and Ongoing Support
  • Master Scheduling and Release Time
  • Program Sustainability and Scaling

A pyramid diagram illustrates a tiered structure with text labels.

  • You are a good fit for Pathway 1 training if you are a:

    • Mentor of interns
    • Mentor teacher of beginning teachers
    • Host teacher of residents
    • Cooperating teacher of candidates
    • Or any other district or campus leader who works directly with pre- and early-service teachers, such as a Principal, Assistant Principal, or Instructional Coach

     

    Pathway 1 participants will engage in 24 hours of high-quality, competency-aligned training from an approved TMT provider in:

    • Summer 2026
    • Fall 2026
    • Winter 2026/2027
    • Spring 2027

  • You are a good fit for Pathway 2 training if you are a district or campus leader who supports mentorship at their district and/or campus, including:

    • District-Level Leaders
    • Principals
    • Assistant Principals

     

    Pathway 2 participants will engage in 16 hours of high-quality, competency-aligned training from an approved TMT provider in: 

    • Spring 2026
    • Summer 2026
    • Fall 2026
    • Spring 2027

  • School systems interested in participating in the PREP Mentorship Program and Texas Mentorship Training (TMT) can apply through the LASO IV application process.

    After submitting an application, TEA reviews all submissions to confirm eligibility. Preliminary award selections are then posted on the LASO IV Award Table webpage.

    Applicants selected for preliminary funding complete a confirmation of funding form and provide any additional documentation requested by TEA. Once confirmed, TEA finalizes awards and shares next-step guidance with recipients.

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