What We Learned in Year 1 of the Pilot - and What Comes Next

This summer marks a big milestone for ELP: We are halfway through our two-year pilot test.

We have much to learn and more to do, but feedback from New Teachers, Building Mentors, Virtual Instructional Coaches, local association presidents, and school administrators show we are onto something. The framework of our professional support model for New Teachers is sound and better than other programs they’ve tried.

Because our goal is to always remain open and transparent, we are pleased to share where we are now and our expectations for the second year of our pilot. 

One state affiliate joins us

The Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) is joining our program as a founder for the 2022-23 school year. During the upcoming school year, they will be in "readiness" mode and focused on internal communication, participation interest, and preparation with Locals/Districts. We are excited to have them on board.

Improvements and changes for Year 2

Our program will maintain its current number of participants among New Teachers, Building Mentors, and Virtual Instructional Coaches. However, due to some turnover among New Teachers, we will work with Locals/Districts to fill empty spots. Because ELP is a voluntary activity for all involved, this didn’t come as a surprise.

We don’t currently need new Building Mentors or Virtual Instructional Coaches. Should that change, we will open applications and make an announcement via ELP liaisons in each state and through our website and newsletter.

Based on participants' feedback, the ELP team and partners are analyzing program adaptations for Year 2 related to baselines, trainings and forums, and tools available for each role (New Teachers, Building Mentors, and Virtual Instructional Coaches).

All participants (new and returning) will attend an onboarding session at the beginning of the next school year. Time commitments and stipends for each role won’t change, but our partner, Digital Promise, will conduct new program assessment activities during the new school year.

ELP’s communication channels continue to expand

We’ve made several improvements to our website this year in an effort to provide more robust information about the program. In addition to general information about the pilot, we added new pages that explain participant roles (and invite their inquiries) and new information that better illustrates the important role of our founding board and program partners.

Over on our blog, we amplify teacher voices, partner stories and insights, important perspectives that impact both students and teachers in the classroom, and, of course, pilot updates and progress. All of this and more is shared in our newsletter (which is published around six times per year). If you don’t already subscribe, you can do so here.

Funding for Year 2

Our eight participating state affiliates contribute critical financial support for the pilot program. In order to expand it to new school districts and states, we are actively seeking additional funding. We are in discussion with the National Education Association about support for Year 2, as well as foundations and philanthropists who support education-related initiatives.

As this blog post demonstrates, we are taking steps to better implement the program, improve what we can now, and capture larger lessons for future improvements. Participating state affiliates are currently devising plans to scale and sustain the progress made in Year 1. We can’t wait to see what comes next.