Novice teachers often find themselves isolated; they are often assigned students with the most difficult challenges, with no mentor, and without professional learning to further develop the skills they began to acquire as student teachers. It is important to disrupt the institutionalized isolation of the novice teacher (Darling-Hammond and Sclan; Stansbury and Zimmerman; Weiss and Weiss). When novice teachers engage in professional development and mentoring that promotes collective participation, focuses on content, and encourages coherence to and alignment with standards and assessments, they are more likely to develop and practice a classroom pedagogy that emancipates their students and themselves (Garet, Birman, et al.; Garet, Porter, et al.). Novice teachers can feel less pressure from legislative mandates, reinforce student-centered methodologies, and master practices learned as preservice teachers when supported in their new profession. Finally, they need to feel like they are part of the positive culture and climate of the school and the teaching community. (Contains 2 figures and 1 note.)