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Abstract
The study examined the perspectives of three beginning special education teachers about their induction and preparation levels both prior o their first year of teaching, and within the first few years of their teaching. The study sought to uncover the thoughts of these teachers about what preparation and induction training they received, and how this training affected their success and effectiveness with sudents in the classroom. Purposeful sampling was used to select three special education teachers witn one to four year experience fromone high school in northeast Georgia. Data were collected in semi-structured face-to-face interviews and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Data from eac case were analyzed separately and the across cases in which three common perspectives emerged: 1) Beginning special education teachers experience high levels of support within their local school. Ongoing staff development is helpful for beginning spcial education teachers when entering the classroom. (2) Beginning special education teachers perceive themselves as successful and effective in the classroom with their students. (3) Problematic issures experienced by beginning special education teachers are individualized and varied. Discipline, paperwork, lact of self-confidence, lact of time for specialized programming, and student low motivational levels are all cited as issues that interfere with beginnning special education teachers' success. Findings of this study indicate that support at the lcoal school level includes mentoring, administrative intervention, and help from experinced special education teachers. Ongoing staff development at the county and local school levels is essential for beginning special education teachers' success in the classroom, especially in the area of special education law.