This paper describes the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Beginning Teacher Assistance Program. The program, operational since 1974, is collaborative, uniting the personnel and resources of the University, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and small to medium sized school districts. Beginning teachers are provided with a structured…

This study examined advice-seeking by beginning teachers. Researchers surveyed 128 beginning teachers and their mentors who were participants in the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's Beginning Teacher Assistance Program, a university-based program that offers support to small- and medium-sized local school districts. Beginning teachers were…

In 1974, the University of Wisconsin Whitewater introduced a university-based mentor program for beginning teachers in its service area. A decision was made at the end of 1999-00 to re-direct the focus of the program from sponsoring a stand-alone mentor program to supporting districts in creating or improving their own mentor programs. This paper…

This paper reports the results of a mailed survey of beginning and mentor teachers who participated in the Wisconsin-Whitewater Beginning Teacher Assistance Program (BTAP) between 1988 and 1999, a university-based mentoring program for K-12 teachers. The program features graduate credit for required mentor training and beginning teacher…

Focusing on the benefits of mentoring for beginning teachers, this article reviews the common goals and organizational formats for mentoring programs, outlines basic knowledge and skills necessary for effective mentoring, suggests resources useful in preparing teachers to serve as mentors, and examines issues about mentoring for staff developers.…

This paper looks at six mentoring programs in Wisconsin for beginning teachers. Four of the programs (Beloit, Kenosha, Plattesville, and West Allis-West Milwaukee) are district programs in which teachers assume mentoring responsibilities in addition to teaching. In the Milwaukee School District program, veteran teachers serve as full-time mentors,…

This paper provides a sketch of a preservice teacher education field experience in schools serving ethnically and racially diverse populations. Since the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is situated in a rural setting with a predominantly white population, accessing schools serving ethnically and racially diverse populations poses significant…

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater requires early field experience of preservice teachers. As part of the Preprofessional Block, students are assigned to a 50-hour classroom experience shadowing a Milwaukee public school teacher. The university provides transportation to the site at a cost of $65 to each student. A survey of students…