Special Education Mentors

Special Education Mentor Teachers and Mentor SLPs Make a Difference!

Our special education mentor team works collaboratively with special education instructional coaches to support teachers and SLPs in their first year in special education in Gwinnett County Public Schools. Sharing your time and expertise with a peer in their first year working with students with IEPs positively affects your mentee's experience as a special education educator and helps improve student achievement. 

The Role of the Special Education Mentor  

Special education mentors are highly effective, veteran teachers or SLPs who support teachers and SLPs new to special education in specially designed instruction, classroom management, data collection, developing IEPs, and case management responsibilities. Mentors schedule mutually agreeable time with mentees to address questions, explore resources, and provide support.  Mentors are paired with mentees based on specific program areas and grade-level bands.

Special Education Mentor Training 

All special education mentors will receive professional learning and participate in collaboration sessions throughout the school year. 

For those new to special education mentoring, a Foundations of Mentoring Workshop will be held virtually on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.

Application Process 

Any interested Special Education teacher or SLP with at least three years of Special Education experience is invited to apply. 

Interested educators must complete the Special Education Mentor Application application and receive a recommendation from your Special Education Assistant Principal. The application includes instructions for obtaining the required recommendation from your Special Education AP. 

 If you previously served as a Special Education mentor, please complete a new application for the 2025-2026 school year. 

The deadline for the application is  March 31, 2025.

The application process may include a review of Special Education documents in Synergy SE  and a classroom visit. 

Please contact Sahrish Panjwani-Charania at sahrish.panjwani-charania@gcpsk12.org OR Trina Henry at trina.henry@gcpsk12.org with any questions. 

Applicants will receive an email by the end of April 2025 regarding the status of their application.