Abstract:

Today, approximately six million students receive special education services in the United States, and around 450,000 teachers service these students. However, one of the most serious and chronic problems facing special education is the attrition and shortage of teachers. This is multiyear, continuous study examines the experiences of teachers in special education during their induction years— first five-years. We attempted to understand what these teacher encountered by using their personal narratives. Participants had the chance to openly discuss what support they had and the roadblocks they had to face during their teaching experience as they transition from novice to veteran teachers. Our goal is to explore the voices of the novice teacher in the field of special education, hoping to start a frank and honest conversation in the area of mentoring, induction, and support, which, to our surprise, is lacking research and academic attention.

Keywords:

Induction, Special Education, Narrative, Mentoring