The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is offering the first-of-its-kind coaching program designed to support teachers within their first five years of teaching.
The collaborative program will be led by experts in education and coaching including Vicki Bayer, current Green Bay Area Public School superintendent and Kerri Gremminger, professional career coach.
The Early Educator Collective is focused on resilience, connection and long-term career sustainability.
When Bowler School District Superintendent Glenda Butterfield-Boldig learned about the Collective, she immediately secured spots for teachers from her small rural district.
“We are excited and grateful for this opportunity for our teachers to connect with educators across the region,” she said. “Our grade level teams are small, and being able to share questions, challenges and ideas with peers from different or larger districts helps ease the isolation some teachers feel.”
Butterfield-Boldig believes the Collective will offer both perspective and a safe, supportive space where educators can navigate the internal and external pressures of the profession together.
“Every teacher impacts students in countless ways,” she said. “I want our teachers to remember why they chose this work, feel proud of that choice and thrive through peer support, intentional coaching and true community connection.”
Vicki Bayer said, “I think this program addresses a gap that many public-school districts face when it comes to mentoring and supporting newer educators. A lot of the traditional mentorship programming and support focus on the first or second year, but once you hit your third year, the traditional support usually diminishes due to funding and capacity.”
While some larger school districts have invested in internal mentorship programs, those models are often limited by time, capacity and proximity within the same building or system. The Early Educator Collective takes a different approach—delivering structured, external support that complements existing efforts rather than replacing them. It connects early-career teachers with peers across districts and experienced facilitators outside their immediate workplace.
Beginning Fall of 2026, educators will participate in monthly 1-hour virtual sessions held from September through May. Teachers will be placed in cohorts based on experience, and with peers outside of their current district. Each participant also receives two independent coaching sessions with the instructors.
