Connecticut State Department of Education

Teacher of the Year Ceremony
Due to inclement weather, the Teacher of the Year Ceremony has been postponed to December 16, 2025 from 5-7pm. Doors will open at 4pm. The Ceremony will take place at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford, and the order of events will remain the same.

Student Supports Topics

Virtual Mentoring as a Tool to Improve Student Engagement in Remote and Hybrid Learning Models

A caring relationship at school—whether it’s with a teacher, a counselor, or another student—can enhance a student’s sense of belonging and reduce absenteeism. Once a school identifies a student with problematic attendance, mentoring can improve not only attendance but also student achievement. MENTOR, a national nonprofit dedicated to the practice, cites research by Public/Private Ventures showing that students who meet regularly with mentors are 52 percent less likely to skip a day of school than similar students without such support. (Attendance Playbook, FutureEd, Georgetown University, June 2020)

Participate in a joint, collaborative effort with The Governor’s Prevention Partnership to learn the benefits of using virtual mentoring as a strategy to strengthen student engagement. Participants will learn:

  • Why relationships are key to student engagement and ways in which intentional mentor relationships can improve a student’s connection to school;
  • How to “pivot” from in-person mentoring to a virtual mentoring model;
  • What the coordination of a virtual mentoring programs entails including, virtual etiquette and considerations, permissions and consent forms; how to get started and ensure a safe experience for students; and
  • Where this is working and how it can work for their school/district.

In addition, participants will receive information on The Governor’s Prevention Partnership’s free training and technical assistance resources for integrating and implementing a mentoring program into school improvement plans.

Date: Monday, October 19, 2020

Presenters:

CSDE

  • Charlene Russell-Tucker, Deputy Commissioner
  • John Frassinelli, Division Director
  • Kari Sullivan, Education Consultant

The Governor’s Prevention Partnership

  • Roland Harmon, Co-President, and Chief Program and Administrative Officer
  • Aristede Hill, Program Manager, Mentoring Services

Local perspective

  • Virtual mentoring and Bridgeport Public Schools
  • Michael Testani, Superintendent, Bridgeport Public Schools
  • Faith Harrison-Villegas, Executive Director, Bridgeport Public Education Fund
  • Anne Gribbons, Executive Director, School Volunteer Association of Bridgeport