Development of the Model
The mentoring model of Project Respect is being developed and tested over a three-year period. During the first year (2000-2001), we developed and conducted a state-wide survey of certified special education teachers – including those currently teaching, and those who are no longer in the field of special education. The survey asked questions about teachers’ levels of satisfaction, preparation, and support when they taught in the field of special education. Particular emphasis was given to the induction-year and mentoring experiences.
In the second year of the project, we used the information from the teachers’ surveys, other mentoring programs, and past research to develop a preliminary draft of the mentoring model. This draft was reviewed by national experts in the field, members of our project advisory team, and teachers from two of the districts that will participate in the pilot phase of the project. Feedback from these reviews was used to refine the mentoring model. The model is being pilot tested in the spring of 2002.
During the final year of the project,
feedback from the teachers, mentors, and administrators in the pilot schools
will be used to revise the model. The final model for Project Respect will be implemented with
three school districts in South Carolina during the 2002-2003 school year.
The Induction Year
The first-year experience is critical for teacher socialization and development of an individual's attitude toward the profession (Billingsley & Tomchin, 1992; Kilgore & Griffin, 1998). In reflecting upon teaching experiences, it is key to examine what happens, what works, what makes someone resilient, and what makes someone love the job. The daunting task of preparing teachers to work with individuals with disabilities has become increasingly more challenging. What should the field of special education do to attract and retain the best and the brightest for teaching students with disabilities? We can start by addressing some of the challenges faced by first-year teachers in the areas of training, support, time, resources, and behavior management.
Training
 | Incongruity between teacher-preparation programs and first teaching position |
| Assigning students of varying disabilities to teachers outside the parameters of their program preparation and for which they are not fully licensed |
| Ambiguity concerning roles and responsibilities at meetings with paraprofessionals |
| Lacking good collaborative, supervisory, and management skills necessary for successfully working with paraprofessionals |
| Skepticism about communicating effectively with parents |
| Uncertainty about how to use technological advances (i.e. augmentative communication devices) |
Support
| Lack of support from administrators and general educators |
| Failure to be viewed as an integral part of the school |
| Resistance from general educators to mainstream and include students with special needs |
| Finding that students with special needs are not viewed as positive additions to general education classes |
| Developing collaborative, working relationships with other teachers |
| Finding someone to address the new teacher’s questions, concerns, and anxieties |
| Finding someone who is willing to share materials, supplies, teaching techniques, and information |
Time
| Scheduling of students |
| Scheduling of meetings |
| Making efficient use of instructional time |
| Determining how to teach several different subject areas during a single period |
| Monitoring student progress |
| Maintaining student records |
| Adjusting to the amount of paperwork |
Resources
| Insufficient curricular and teaching resources available |
| Unavailability of financial resources for the teacher to purchase necessary materials and supplies |
| Difficulties accommodating for the varying performance levels of students |
| Finding effective strategies and teaching methods |
Behavior Management
| Understanding policies and procedures for classroom discipline |
| Adjusting to the different learning styles and backgrounds of students |
| Dealing with behavior management issues |
| Keeping behaviors under control |
| Maintaining a sense of integrity |
Why a Mentoring Model
Although there are many reasons teachers
leave the field of special education, teachers’ perceptions of a lack of
school support coupled with the extensive responsibilities of working with
children with disabilities make the first few years of teaching particularly
difficult for new special education teachers.
As we look at possible ways to address the needs of new special education
teachers, it is clear that many of their specific concerns are simply endemic to
special education – there is not much any of us can do about paperwork, IEP
meetings, ranges of student performance, and planning time for instruction. We
can, however, work within the school framework to identify specific techniques
to help first-year teachers become more confident and more capable, and to feel
more supported in the school environment.
A mentoring model seems to be the ideal
format to use as a means of providing new teachers with the very individualized
assistance, guidance, feedback, and friendship they need during their first
years in the classroom. An
in-service or group meeting does not allow for teacher-specific help. Because
mentoring programs for new teachers already are required of school districts by
the state of South Carolina, the backbone of the project was already in place.
The next section encapsulates the challenges teachers face during their
induction year.
Project Respect is supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Grant # H325N000045A. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the United States Department of Education or the University of South Carolina.
Web page last updated June 26, 2002