Support for Alternative Route (AR) teachers in the New Jersey Public School System
Abstract
In this study, the researcher explored the perceptions that New Jersey content specialized, alternate route (AR) teachers had about the support provided to them by those in their educational support system (administrators, mentors, peers, students, parents, and others) in their first five years of service. Thirteen (N=13) female individuals participated in a qualitative research design study. The researcher interviewed this selected group of participants to answer two inter-related research questions: 1) To what extent do the alternative route, content specialized, female teachers perceive support from their educational support environment; and 2) To what extent do the alternative route, content specialized, female teachers perceive support from their educational support environment, as having an affect on their decision to remain in or to leave the teaching profession? The interview findings were then related to the professional education literature on support for new teachers (orientation, critical support training, induction, mentorship), comparisons with traditional certification route teacher education, the history of the alternate route certification law and its aftermath since 1984, and the continuing controversies about what some feel are serious shortcomings of AR teachers and their training that have dampened the acceptance and support of AR teachers by their support systems in some school systems. Finally suggestions were made for practice and for additional research to confirm the findings of this research.
