The Lack of Male Educators in Early Childhood Educators

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY

The participation or lack of participation in a mentoring program and the degree of quality in the program can greatly affect beginning teachers, their skill development, and their attrition rates. Beginning teachers who were provided with mentors from the same subject field and who participated in collective induction activities, such as planning and collaboration with other teachers, “were less likely to move to other schools and less likely to leave the teacher occupation after their first year of teaching” (Smith & Ingersoll, 2004, p. 681). Therefore this study investigated the correlations between mentoring programs and the benefits received.

Mentoring programs have been established in school systems throughout the nation (Carver & Katz, 2004; Ganser, 2002; Grogan & Crow, 2004; Hanson & Moir, 2006, 2008; Ingersoll & Smith, 2004; Jones & Pauley, 2003; Strong, 2005; Trubowitz, 2004). The National Education Association Foundation (NEA Foundation, 2001.) stated mentoring programs in the United States have been around for about a generation……………………………………………..