Page 84 - Superintendent Report 2023-24

Educator Support Program

The Educator Support Program (ESP) supports new and developing instructional personnel in their professional practice
by providing continuous job-embedded professional learning opportunities, resources, and on-site support. ESP consists
of two cohorts, ESP Foundations and ESP Accelerated. New educators with temporary certification are registered in ESP
Foundations, while educators with professional certification are in ESP Accelerated. Each cohort is designed with different
categories of structured experiences for participants to engage with and reflect on with a mentor or buddy teacher. The
FY23 ESP registered and engaged over 1,800 instructional employees from schools across the District.

The FY23 ESP supported educators via three levels of engagement: 1:1 mentor, school, and District/Regional level. Each ESP
Foundations participant was paired with a certified clinical educator as a mentor. In contrast, ESP Accelerated participants
were paired with a more experienced “buddy” teacher for support with program coursework and the daily demands of
the profession. To ensure meaningful and impactful engagement for ESP participants, the Department of Professional
Development held nine training sessions for ESP contacts and Voluntary Lead Mentors at the beginning of the school year
to define their role in the ESP experience for new educators. ESP school-based leaders were also provided presentation
drafts to engage participants in monthly, collaborative, new educator-focused meetings called “Huddles.”

At the District/Regional level, professional development specialists were available to participants through office hours,
individual virtual and in-person meetings, and a District-wide conference.

FY23 ESP Enrollment:
• ESP Foundations: 822
• ESP Accelerated: 245
• ESP Mentors: 459
• ESP School Leaders: 312

EPIC System: Intercom, Paging, and Bells

In November 2022, Superintendent Burke approved EPIC System as the standard solution to upgrade existing traditional
intercom systems. Following this approval, the Department of Educational Technology added a 10-year plan to the District’s
capital budget to migrate schools to EPIC System. This network-based solution allows for maximum flexibility in running
school operations. This upgrade also includes a classroom audio refresh, ensuring that students can hear high-quality
instruction regardless of where they sit in the classroom.

84 // Superintendent Annual Report 2022 - 2023