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Abstract
This dissertation presents case studies of early career teachers’ experiences within their teacher communities. Given that nearly half of all teachers decide to leave the profession within their first five years, this inquiry examines the ways in which early career teachers are mentored and supported into their specific contexts. And so, the cases explore the early career teachers’ interactions with colleagues, how they positioned themselves within their department and grade level teams, and also their understanding of the significance of external forces on their teacher community. The cross-case analysis is presented using micropolitical constructs of professional needs and micropolitical literacy to determine the ways in which early career teachers read and navigate their schools and teacher communities. The findings demonstrate how formal and informal mentors play a critical role in early career teachers’ induction and their professional needs. Organizational needs can indicate early career teachers’ feeling of if and how they see themselves fitting into their community. Cultural-ideological needs, or the beliefs and normative behaviors within the teacher community, can also indicate compatibility if early career teachers hold different perspectives on how the teachers within their community should engage with one another or do not align with one another’s beliefs. Material needs are important for early career teachers because they help clarify their beliefs regarding planning and instruction and also function as a mechanism for reading the teaching styles and practices of their colleagues. Professional needs are wrapped up in early career teachers' politics of identity, and, specifically, how moments of affirmation, vulnerability, and visibility can support or hinder early career teachers’ feeling connected to their teacher community. All of these professional needs are situated within the professional relationships that early career teachers have with their colleagues. This work closes by naming implications for teacher preparation programs, school-based induction programs, and mentors and colleagues in pursuit of a more robust mentoring and induction process for early career teachers that will encourage teachers to stay in the profession. Overall, this dissertation suggests the need to consider micropolitics in how we train, support, and sustain teachers.