Heeding the Voices of Novice Teachers: Moving beyond the One and Done and Two and through Non-Renewal Practices in Urban School Districts

This qualitative case study analyzes the narratives of six in-service teachers regarding their mentoring experiences in an urban emergent district during their first or second year of teaching. Although the teachers' district proports an extensive teacher induction and mentoring program, all participants in this study found themselves in either the One and Done or Two and Through categories of in-service teachers who are not rehired after their first or second years of employment. Teacher turnover continues to be on the rise in urban communities, yet school districts continue to fall short in providing novice teachers with adequate support. In addition to underscoring the importance of equity of access for all novice teachers to mentoring programs, this study draws critical associations that reveal how underserving novice teachers in urban schools further compounds the educational debt of those student populations have traditionally been underserved in public schools.