How does NNECN fit with other state and local induction and support systems? NNECN does not replace state or local induction or support systems, but is design to support and enhance existing programs and policies. Many support systems successfully address the "survival skills" needed by new teachers buy lack expertise and capacity to address the content and content-specific pedagogical issues that ensure all students will learn science and mathematics successfully. The focus on specific science and mathematics disciplines ensures that the content and pedagogical needs of a new teacher will be addressed by mentors with specific expertise in the discipline they teach.

Do mentor teachers have to be out of the classroom for twelve days? The 12 release days are flexible. There may be times when a teacher needs a full day such as attending a conference with a new teacher. The 12 days may be used hourly, such as freeing up existing time by paying someone else to assume a duty such as study hall. Substitute days may also be used for rotating reciprocal teacher observations. Another option is to use the hourly amount to reimburse mentors for time and/or meal expenses to meet with mentees on noncontract time.

What support is provided between summer academies and spring conferences Each mentor teacher and school is assigned a coordinator in their state who is their direct link with the project. This coordinator is available to answer any follow up questions and troubleshoot, help locate and provide resources and technical assistance, and keep administrators informed. Coordinators will also support networking among participants in each state and between states through facilitated electronic discussions or optional networking meetings.

What is the advantage of a tri-state project? NNECN aims to leverage the best resources each state has to offer. Through the processes and products developed by the NSF Statewide Systemic Initiatives in Vermont and Maine, as well as the model school reform projects in New Hampshire, NNECN will share unprecedented resources, support, new ideas, and opportunities for collaboration with teachers and administrators across the tri-state region. An added value is the opportunity to form strong, collegial relationships with teacher in other states and share learning and strategies around common goals.

How will mentor teachers have the time to do all of this and teach too? NNECN will help participants rethink how we use time in order to ensure NNECN is not an "add on" but a naturally, integrated part of a teacher's professional time. A variety of time saving and restructuring strategies will be offered and tried out by schools to determine their efficacy. Each school schedule and structure is different; therefore, coordinators will work with a school to determine the best strategies for that setting. The "enhanced mentoring" strategies used in NNECN are a natural fit with school-based professional development.

Why are "Learning Communities" part of a mentoring project? National studies indicate that life long professional development must begin with the first year of teaching and continue throughout a teacher's career. Learning with colleagues is a professional practice that must be established at the beginning to take firm root within a school. The Glenn Commission recommends "Inquiry Groups" as a strategy for improving the overall quality of teaching: "Building and district level inquiry groups are envisioned as communities of learning. They provide a specific venue for teacher to share ideas, gain the benefits of one another's teaching experience, engage in common study to enrich their subject knowledge, learn more about technology, and design ways to incorporate local, state, and national developments in their teaching." NNECN supports strategies that promote group learning such as Study Groups, Case Discussion Groups, Lesson Study, Demonstration Lessons, and CIEST (Collaborative Inquiry Examining Student Thinking).

How can one mentor manage, adding a new mentor each year of the project? Research in how new teachers learn shows that the first year is the most intensive for new teachers and mentors. The second year is more focused on curriculum, instruction, and assessment issues, and the NNECN design of learning communities takes some of the pressure off the mentor teacher as they become part of a community of learning in the school. By the third year, the "first" mentee begins to "automentor" and provide assistance with their mentor's new mentee. This "phased in" approach allows mentors to focus their time where it is most needed and utilize "co-mentors" in the NNECN program to provide additional support.

Do mentors and mentees have to teach the same subject and grade level? This depends on the areas of the mentors' subject matter, grade level, and pedagogical expertise. The "co-mentoring" aspect of NNECN provides support for any mentor teacher who may recognize the need to draw upon additional support for their mentees and themselves.

How are administrators included? Except for the optional orientation meeting, the NNECN grant does not fund the cost of administrator participation in the professional development sessions. However, administrators are welcome to attend and participate in any NNECN conferences using district professional development funds to cover the costs of housing, meals, and travel. State coordinators will work with administrators, upon request, to support the use of NNECN's tools, processes, and strategies within their school systems.

What do you mean by "standards-based and research-informed"? Today's teachers are facing far-reaching changes in teaching and learning unsurpassed by previous reforms. These changes are due to research in teaching and learning that has been revealed in the last decade as well as the legislated mandates for academic standards of achievement for all students. New teachers, as well as veteran staff, are affected each day of their teaching by these standards and research. The NNECN project believes standards and research should drive the decisions all teachers make about teaching and learning in science and mathematics

What is "co-mentoring"? Everyone in the NNECN project is a learner. This includes mentor teachers learning from state, regional, and national science and mathematics reform specialists, mentor teachers learning from other mentor teachers, as well as new teachers learning from experienced ones. Co-mentoring also means mentor teachers utilize mentor colleagues for additional mentee support.

What if we don't have a new teacher to mentor each year of the three-year program (three teachers in all)? The data that exists in all three states show that teacher retirements as well as experienced teachers teaching out of their content areas are a continuously looming issue affecting teacher quality. One cannot predict what may happen three years from now but current trends indicate that new teachers are entering schools at an alarming rate. Adjacent districts, which lack mentor teachers, may form partnerships with an existing NNECN school to utilize the support and expertise of a NNECN mentor. NNECN will consider the needs of small, rural districts, which may have only one or two science or mathematics teachers, to identify ways for them to participate in consideration of their faculty size.