Torace includes a number of key design innovations that allow for maximum flexibility while still keeping the system simple, easy-to-navigate, and powerful. Not to mention, FREE!

• Event Types: When creating an event, the event administrator selects the event type. This type will not be visible to participants, but provides additional context for interpreting event related data.

• Reusable Event Profiles: When participants accept an new event, they can reuse elements of their previous event profile to save time (if the event is similar and little has changed) or completely revamp it (if the event is very different or if their interests have changed).

• Approval Options: Event administrators can decide event by event whether mentors, mentees or both require approval to participate. Approvals are done on an event-by-event basis and can be done by designated site-based approvers or directly by the event administrator.

• Preference Options: Event administrators can control if and when to allow participants to review potential matches within their pools and star favorites. This can be managed separately for mentors and mentees!

• Rolling Registration or Defined Windows: Event administrators control the stages of each event on the event details page. Registrations can be held open and matches processed on a rolling basis, or clear deadlines can be set and enforced.

The following examples show some of the different ways this flexibility can be put to use for very different events in very different contexts:

Student Teaching

An event administrator at a medium-sized district may work with 10 or more different institutions of higher education to place over 100 student teachers (mentees) with hosts or cooperating teachers (mentors) in 75 different schools. Mentors meeting minimal criteria around years of service may still need to be approved by their school leaders, or a deputy superintendent may do approvals for their cohort of schools. Both mentors and mentees participate in the preferences process.

Novice Teacher Mentoring

A state regional service center that supports a geographically dispersed rural population of small schools matches novice teachers (first two years) with a mentor in the same grade at another district for remote meetings on teaching state standards. Pools are licensure-based. The regional service center sets up each school as a mentor site and designates the principal to approve mentors. Mentee approvals are not required as all novices are part of the program. Neither mentors nor mentees participate in a preferences process because, though there are many pools, each is small, so the event administrator uses the event profiles to inform matches.

Practicum Placements

A large district hosts several thousand practicum placements from many undergraduate and credentialing programs. These students are placed across many schools and sites. The district does not require approvals of mentors, as they see this hosting opportunity as an entry-level step into teacher leadership open to all. The pools are created based on grade band and regional geography to facilitate transit as licensure is not a criterion. They allow the mentors to express preferences for the mentees but not vice versa because of time constraints. They do require mentees to be approved after having been fingerprinted and background checked by Labor Relations.

School Leader Residency

A prep program that grants administrative licenses to school leaders places these future leaders in a year-long residency in districts across three counties in their state. Pools are grade-band-based. The event administrator sets up each district as a mentor site and the superintendent or their designee as the mentor approver. Because of a shortage of available mentors, up to two residents can be placed at each site.

Event types are grouped into three categories. When selecting a type, first click on the arrow to expand the categories that best matches your event.