Teacher perspectives on a teacher mentorship program and its influence on a sense of belonging and professional growth.

Teacher retention is crisis in the U.S. and globally. Literature suggests the first five years of teaching is a crucial time range to determine if teachers stay in the profession or quit. Teachers will leave the profession due to lack of support, poor school culture, feeling isolated, high work-related stress, poor compensation, and challenging student behaviors. Research suggests that new teacher mentorship programs are effective in addressing teacher support, ultimately improving teacher retention. Literature also suggests that employees are more likely to stay with a company if they feel belonged. To explore the further into a new teacher mentorship program and how new teachers connected their sense of belonging and professional development, this study investigates the lived experiences of the new teachers who were once a program participant. The participants include consenting teachers from a large Southeast region public school district. Data were compiled through videoconferencing interviews which were transcribed then analyzed through interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to make sense of the experiences to identify themes. Findings suggested that the participants believed the mentorship experience made a great impact in their career. Findings include the transformative nature of mentorship relationships in which networking and collaboration is key to teacher success. These findings suggest that school district leaders should carefully construct new teacher mentorship programs that encompasses relationships and the cultivation of belonging and as a catalyst for professional growth.