Recent national and international research which acknowledges a continuum of teacher education, through initial, induction and in-career phases, promotes the conception of teaching as a professional practice by supporting curriculum development, educational leadership and continuing personal professional development (CPPD). Wang and Odell (2007), Mullen (2005) and Fletcher (2000) view mentoring as of central importance in facilitating creativity, critical reflection and collaboration. The Irish Teaching Council (2006) recognises teachers' professional roles, responsibilities and relationships. The Lucent Science Mentor Teacher Initiative (Kiely, 2005) laid foundations for academic mentoring in the University of Limerick. A current initiative, the subject of this paper, the Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Masters of Education (Mentoring) is supported by the Department of Education and Science (2006 ongoing). This paper explicates the theoretical foundations underpinning this academic accreditation pathway, where educational mentoring is conceptualised as a caring, collaborative, and critically reflective professional practice which values a humanistic perspective, balanced with critical analysis placing democratic pedagogy within a socially constructed curriculum. A reflective perspective emphasises mentoring as co-enquiry within a whole school dimension. The theoretical framework for teaching practice outlined in the University of Limerick (Leonard and Gleeson 1999) concurs with this model.

This paper presents empirical findings from a survey of school principals alongside interaction with key policymakers. Critical friend meetings, course design team meetings and working alongside the mentors promoted a critical interpretation of the data.

Early research findings indicate that schools need to build better capacity for school-based mentoring if they are to support teachers becoming leaders of learning communities.