Welcome

Miami-Dade County Public is the fourth largest school system in the Nation and the best! Our district sponsors numerous comprehensive teacher induction programs, one of which is Project GATE, a systematic structure of support for new/early-career special education teachers to assist them in becoming competent and effective professionals.  Brock and Grady (2007) suggest that such programs expect multiple outcomes such as retention of qualified teachers and enhanced professional growth. 

Project GATE (Getting Assistance for Teaching Effectively) focuses on mentor teacher leader partnerships and professional development for both mentor teacher leaders and new and early career special education teachers. 

In 2001, Project GATE was developed by the district’s Division of Special Education, in collaboration with Florida International University, with 15 mentoring teams.  In 2002-2003, there were 25 mentoring teams, with an increase to 89 teams in 2006-2007, due to an expansion of the program with additional support from the district’s Office of Professional Development. 

An evaluation conducted at the end of the 2006 school year indicated that 97% of the new teachers attributed their success to Project GATE.