New Teacher Center

Empowering teachers utilizing peer mentors and high quality instruction, strengthens teachers, improves retention and benefits students.

New Teacher Center (NTC) addresses educational inequities ensuring that every learner receives an excellent education that empowers them to reach their full potential in classrooms, communities, and beyond.

The Detroit Public Schools Community Districts (DPSCD) strategic plan, Blueprint 2020, identified Exceptional Talent as a priority and recognized that support for Detroit’s teachers, particularly new teachers, is critical to achieving positive student outcomes and enhancing teacher retention. GreenLight partnered with DPSCD to bring NTC to Detroit to support this goal and strengthen outcomes for students. 

NTC developed a tailored program aligned with DPSCD’s Vision for Excellent Instruction to build capacity in supporting new teachers through the implementation of Teacher Mentors. This model equips school-based mentors with evidence-based, job-embedded support rooted in academic and social-emotional learning competencies. Veteran peer Teacher Mentors provide instructionally-focused, one-on-one support and actionable feedback to new teachers, using  observation, analysis of student work, and comprehensive data to accelerate educator leadership, teaching practice, and student learning.

With over 20 years of experience, NTC has found that when educators have access to high-quality instructional materials and implementation support, students make significant academic progress. Independent studies show students of NTC-supported new teachers in Grades 4 through 8 achieve up to five months of additional learning in math and english in one school year.