A school's performance over time is shaped by its ability to retain strong teachers. Research has identified multiple predictors associated with teacher retention; however, few studies have investigated the association between person-organization and person-group fit and teacher retention. The purpose of this study is to investigate the…

We compare beginning special and general education teachers' access to school-based colleagues. Our findings demonstrate that colleague relationships are critical for the experiences of beginning teachers, as are the school organizational norms that these beginning teachers experience. For special education teachers in particular, perception of…

This article reports on a 2-year qualitative research study of the processes by which middle school principals' policies and actions shaped the experiences of five novice teachers in two Michigan school districts. We examined beginning teachers' perceptions of principals' approaches to managing student behavior, instructional leadership, and…

Background/Context: The increasing number of districts implementing mentoring and induction programs suggests that policymakers are aware of the need to increase the support available to new teachers. The argument underlying many of these programs is based, at least partly, on assumptions about beginning teachers' emotional responses to their…

A common problem faced by new teachers is lack of supervisory support and learning on the job through trial and error can often dishearten the rookie enough to abandon the job and often the profession. Suggestions are offered on how to redress this problem and a starting point could be the implementation of what the Alliance for Excellent…