Peer Intervention
What is the Peer Intervention Program?
It is a multi-service program for tenured teachers and guidance counselors who are struggling in their jobs and/or seeking effective ways to improve. Participants voluntarily apply for assistance and commit to working individually with an intervenor for a period of up to one year. All assistance is given on a confidential basis and is tailored to the participant’s professional strengths and weaknesses. The goal is to help participants become more effective in their work or counsel them to leave and pursue other options. Click here for Frequently Asked Questions.
What is an intervenor?
An intervenor is an experienced classroom teacher or guidance counselor with demonstrated instructional, interpersonal and peer-assistance skills. He or she possesses a wide range of knowledge with respect to curriculum content, implementation of standards, classroom materials, educational methodology and the change process. Intervenors are skilled in creating a supportive, collegial climate for professional development.
Who should apply?
Tenured teachers and guidance counselors who believe that their professional competence will benefit from intense, individualized assistance should apply to PIP. Some people recognize on their own that they are struggling in their professional capacity and/or could benefit from expert support. Others know they are having trouble because of supervisors’ evaluations, formal warnings, or U-ratings. In any case, the program is voluntary, and the ultimate decision to apply is a personal one. The only requirements are that a teacher or guidance counselor is currently working with students and is committed to pursuing a high level of professional growth. Click here for the PIP Application.
What can I expect to gain if I participate?
Participants gain different things depending on their specific needs and goals. Together the intervenor and the participant will plan an individualized professional development program and decide how to carry out the plan. Some common areas in which participating teachers gain expertise are lesson planning and presentation, classroom management, implementation of standards and developing healthy professional relationships. Common areas for guidance counselor improvement include individual and group counseling skills, procedures for academic and educational advisement, maintaining counseling records and planning school-wide counseling programs and activities.
What additional services does the program offer?
PIP aims to help participants maximize their opportunities for professional and personal growth during the peer intervention process. To that end, a licensed mental health professional is available to help participants address life issues that may interfere with achieving that goal. Services, which are strictly confidential, include crisis intervention, short-term counseling, group support, learning-focused growth workshops and referral. For participants who may decide, after working with their intervenors, that they would benefit from considering career alternatives, the services of a certified counselor are available to help them explore out-of-school options including interests and aptitudes for other careers.
What is PIP Plus and how does it differ from PIP?
As noted, PIP was developed to provide confidential, voluntary help to tenured teachers and guidance counselors seeking expert assistance from a trained intervenor for the purpose of professional improvement. PIP Plus was designed strictly for U-rated teachers in danger of being charged for incompetence under the State Education law, section 3020-a. Enrollees either volunteer or are recommended by their principals. Independent consulting teachers, called observers, are provided by a third party vendor and agreed to by both the UFT and DOE. They are assigned to work with enrolled teachers to develop a specific, individualized educational plan for improvement. While the teacher is participating in the program, charges under section 3020-a will not be filed. If charges are filed against a participant after the program is completed, the observation reports that the observer has written and shared with the participant will be admissible. The aim of PIP Plus is to provide the basis for an independent and impartial evaluation of the teacher’s work at the hearing. Click here for a Comparision Chart of PIP and PIP Plus.
What information can I find on PIP’s Web site?
There is a broad array of information about the program along with practical tools and resources. You can read about PIP services, download an application and access articles from the New York Teacher and our own newsletter, Partners in Progress. You can also gain valuable information about how intervenors and other PIP staff members help their colleagues grow and change. Click on PIP Tips and find suggestions about preparing for formal observations, questions to facilitate guided reading, strategies for time management, suggestions for counselors to cope with end-of-year crunch, ways to polish your resume and much more.