Overview:

New Milford’s mission is to build community through the support, encouragement and collaboration between aspiring,new and mentor teachers to promote reflection of new learning, growth in teacher practice and a positive impact on student learning.

Connecticut recognizes that learning to teach is a developmental process that begins during preservice and continues throughout a teacher’s career. In their first years in the profession, beginning teachers face the challenge of translating theory from teacher preparation programs into practice. Beginning teachers are novices working toward proficiency. “Research demonstrates that comprehensive, multi-year induction programs accelerate the professional growth of new teachers, reduce the rate of new teacher attrition, provide a stronger return on states’ and school districts’ investment, and improve student learning.”1 To help beginning teachers successfully transition from preparation to the role of professional educators, section 10-145o of the Connecticut General Statutes was passed in October 2009 and called for the establishment of “a teacher education and mentoring (TEAM) program that includes guided teacher support and coaching and the completion of instructional modules” for beginning teachers. A study of Connecticut’s TEAM program conducted by the Regional Educational Laboratories (REL) in 2020 showed a strong correlation between TEAM completion and teacher retention. “The results suggest that teachers who completed more of the program requirements were more likely to stay in the same district and in the Connecticut public school system.”

The mission of the TEAM Program is to promote excellence, equity, and high achievement for Connecticut students by engaging teachers in the purposeful exploration of professional practice through guided support and personal reflection. The goals of the TEAM Program are to:

• Provide all beginning teachers with the support they need to develop as effective educators;

• Ease the beginning teacher’s transition into the teaching profession to retain effective teachers

• Develop teachers who are reflective practitioners, able to critically assess their practice against CT’s teaching standards, and are committed to continuous professional learning;

• Cultivate an understanding of the professional responsibilities of an educator;

• Foster collaborative learning communities for all educators; and

• Provide excellent teachers the opportunity to develop as educational leaders

~ Connecticut State Department of Education

TEAM -ROP from Carly

Resources from Carly - 10/13/22

TEAM 2022-23 Calendar of Events