The purpose of the study was to gain an in-depth perspective of rural special education teachers' experiences and beliefs regarding the characteristics of mentoring programs that will assist beginning special education teachers to remain in rural districts. A basic qualitative design was used in the study. The following research question guided this study: What do special education teachers believe are the most important characteristics of mentoring programs needed to retain beginning special education teachers in rural districts? Seven special education teachers who taught special education for at least five years in a rural district participated in semistructured interviews. A thematic analysis was used to gain a true understanding of the data collected and to articulate themes in a practical way. The study's findings revealed five characteristics that rural districts should implement into their mentoring programs to influence beginning teacher retention including having enough time with a mentor, having face-to-face meetings with the mentor, having a mentor with the same subject matter background, having quality mentor support, and building a mentor/mentee relationship. Findings revealed that beginning special education teachers need someone to go to for support and guidance as they try to navigate their new roles. Future qualitative researchers may want to consider researching virtual mentoring and other forms of technology as possible components of mentoring, especially for teachers in rural districts who are often isolated from colleagues with similar subject backgrounds. Researchers may also want to consider conducting their study with participants in a mentoring program in suburban or urban school districts. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]