To determine beginning teachers' reactions to Florida's Beginning Teacher Program (BTP), a one-year teaching experience, education graduates who had experienced the BTP were surveyed. Participants were fairly positive regarding the support they received from the program, which may facilitate new teachers' adjustment to the teaching environment.…

Reports a study that examined and considered improvements to supervision of Canadian beginning teachers during the three-year transition phase into formal teaching. Existing supervisory practice, as determined by a survey, was compared to that recommended in the literature. Results suggest a need for strong, collaborative supervision efforts…

Through the use of videotaping and postconferencing via a telecommunication link, first-year North Carolina teachers received assistance from a support team composed of a site mentor and a university professor in a remote site. The paper describes the project and its results, which the participants considered a limited success. (SM)

Investigates mentoring in the new millennium, linking approaches to mentoring with an evolutionary model of professionalism in teachers (the four ages of professionalism); examining key areas of change that should lead to a new way of looking at mentoring; and drawing conclusions for redesigning teacher preparation, developing continuous learning…

Argues that first-year teachers can offer fresh perspectives and rejuvenate spirits, but that they need help in that crucial first year to establish themselves as viable members of the profession. Discusses administrative support, collegial support, networking, and university support for first-year teachers. (SR)

The qualitative research described here studied interactions between first-year teachers and their teacher colleagues in an effort to understand how beginning teachers construct their interactions and employ them to master the curriculum, understand the grade level being taught, and gain control of classrooms. Seven beginning elementary school…

This study examined the effectiveness of a fifth-year teacher preparation program that included a year-long internship as preparation for the first full year of full-time teaching. Subjects for the study were nine first-year teachers who had completed the year-long internship as part of their certification program and were subsequently employed as…

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…

An educational diagnostician who served as mentor to a first-year special education teacher describes her experiences, focusing on her overwhelming sense of responsibility, mentorship training, and critical incidents. The mentor's role in providing guidance without being evaluative is stressed, and development of the mentor/protege relationship…

Describes Alberta, Canada's Initiation to Teaching Project, which addressed beginning teachers' inadequate practical skills, eased the transition to full-time professional work, and reduced teacher unemployment and underemployment. Project evaluation revealed that most participants considered it a valuable induction scheme that resulted in…

Describes a nexus between teacher education, teacher education research, and state policy, tracing the past dozen years of efforts designed to both support and retain California teachers in their early years; highlighting the California New Teacher Project and the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program; and noting the rapid expansion in…

Describes a novice teacher learning community (STEP+) formed though the multiyear collaboration among northern California teachers and two university researchers. (Contains 35 references.) (PKP)

The CADRE Project is a collaborative teacher induction effort between higher education and K-12 practitioners. It was designed to make a difference in the induction experience of beginning teachers. The evaluation of the CADRE project was designed to assess whether the needs of the beginning CADRE teachers were being met. In order to assess…

An extensive body of knowledge is showing that the links between how teachers think and feel about themselves affects their performance. One coordinator of a new teacher program, comprised of teachers from preschool to high school, asks her new teachers to reflect by writing biography poetry. The coordinator used the poem framework at the…

Intended to help beginning vocational teachers make a smooth transition into the field of teaching, this document contains five guides that give a complete set of instructions for implementing, operating, and evaluating a comprehensive Professional Development Program for Beginning Vocational Teachers. The guides follow an introduction and…