Teachers new to the City School District of Albany with initial certification met their faculty mentors at a reception at Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2006. The district's New Teacher Mentor Program provides all new teachers with initial certification with a mentor in the form of an experienced teacher within the district. (Article continues below)

This program helps ease the transition to the district for new teachers, while providing professional development opportunities and critical support. Within the district, the program fosters a collabarative professional community of teachers, staff and administrators with a shared sense of responsibility for improving student performances.

It also helps retain highly-qualified teachers. Of the roughly 98 new teachers hired this year, which is more than any other year in recent history, 62 have initial certification and will receive mentors. Tuesday's event followed a first-ever 3-day New Teacher Orientation program held from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1.

This is the first of several meetings that will be attended by both the mentors and mentees during the school year on a variety of topics ranging from preparation and planning, classroom management and instruction, to professional responsibilities, as a follow-up to the orientation training.