District 21's Peer 2 Peer mentoring program creates a comprehensive, supportive framework for teachers early in their careers. This program includes opportunities for professional growth and reflection in a non-evaluative environment that benefits all members of the learning community.

The Peer 2 Peer mentoring program provides a balance between expecting mentees to engage in their own professional growth beyond Institute Days and Staff Meeting time with regular attendance at professional development workshops and with providing mentees the opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussions with mentors at their school sites. In all of these settings, the program is designed to be collaborative with the success of the mentee directly tied to the success of her or his students.

Over the course of four years of pre-tenured service in School District 21, the nature of Peer 2 Peer changes. Initially, the focus is on ensuring that foundational knowledge and skills are in place with new teachers, and by the third and fourth years of the program, the focus has shifted to instructional leadership and higher levels of collaboration with colleagues for increased student learning. This process is coordinated at the school sites by each school's Learning Coach.

For more information on the Peer 2 Peer Mentoring Program, contact Karen Daly, School District 21's PDS/Mentoring Coordinator.