Mentoring beginning special education teachers and the relationship to attrition

This article examines the components of an effective mentoring program for beginning special education teachers and the impact mentoring has on attrition. The participants for the study were 156 first-year special education teachers in South Carolina who responded to a questionnaire that examined the frequency and perceived effectiveness of the form and content of the mentoring, the characteristics of the mentors, and the teachers' plans to remain in special education. Two factors emerged in the mentoring: a general factor and a factor specific to special education. The perceived effectiveness of the mentoring was significantly correlated with the teachers' plans to remain in special education. The article examines critical components of mentoring and concludes by discussing the implications for practice.