Stockton Launches Mentorship Linking Students to Teachers
Program to Practice pairs Stockton education students with New Jersey County Teachers of the Year for firsthand classroom guidance.
Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Secondary Education
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Stockton University's School of Education launched Program to Practice, a mentorship program connecting education students with County Teachers of the Year. The program kicked off Nov. 11 with a panel discussion featuring 14 County Teachers of the Year from across New Jersey.
Why it matters
The program is intended to complement the academic and professional supports students receive from Stockton faculty. Relationships built through the program are meant to extend into students' first and second years of teaching.
The kickoff panel drew 14 County Teachers of the Year on Nov. 11, but the extraction gives no enrollment count, cohort size or program duration for the mentorship itself.
The players
Stockton University
Stockton University is a public university in Galloway, New Jersey, whose School of Education launched the program.
Stacey Culleny
Stacey Culleny is co-chair of Stockton's undergraduate Teacher Education program who moderated the kickoff panel.
The details
Stacey Culleny, co-chair of Stockton's undergraduate Teacher Education program, moderated a panel addressing balancing professional responsibilities, building student relationships and preparing for classroom challenges. Students asked questions and connected individually with the educators at a reception afterward.
Timeline
Nov. 11: Program to Practice kicks off with a panel discussion.
Season Trajectory
The program extends Stockton's undergraduate Teacher Education program by adding direct, practitioner-led contact with New Jersey's recognized County Teachers of the Year. It shifts part of early-career preparation from coursework toward ongoing relationships with working educators.
Education students at Stockton can seek out the program's County Teachers of the Year for advice on classroom challenges and early-career planning. Those mentoring relationships are meant to carry into the first years of teaching.
The takeaway
Direct mentorship from experienced teachers can give education students practical guidance that coursework alone may not provide. Students who take part early may build networks that support them into their first years in the classroom.
Further reading
Explore more on Secondary Education for context on how teacher preparation connects to classroom practice.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Press of Atlantic City.
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