Education Commons^™

Mentorship And Teacher Retention: Analysis Of Beginning Special Education Teachers’ Experiences In Minnesota, Michele Barron-Albers

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

Beginning special education teachers each year enter their classrooms with high expectations and best-practice strategies they are eager to employ. Related literature affirmed, however, that they are quickly faced with what Charlotte Danielson (1999) described as a “sink or swim in the deep end of the pool” culture (p. 251-7) as they grapple with the needed sudden transition from theory to practice. Done well, effective mentoring can become the bridge between preservice learning and classroom experience and guide beginning special education teachers toward a deeper and more impactful teaching practice.

This study’s purpose was to explore facets of new special …

The Impact Of Mentorship On Women Superintendents In Minnesota, Amy Denneson

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

Problem

Mentorship [was] commonly cited in the research as one of the most effective supports available to women in attaining the superintendency. Research has shown that women more actively use mentoring systems than men in their career paths, but the effectiveness of their mentoring practices is unclear.

Purpose

The purpose of this study [was] to gather information from practicing female superintendents in Minnesota about the extent to which they were mentored and the mentor qualities they perceived as most effective. This study was quantitative in nature and designed to answer four research questions: (1) How extensive is mentoring among women …