This dissertation is comprised of three essays. In my first essay, I provide a rich and nuanced picture of how different districts across one state with an ambiguous support policy attempt to support early-career teachers, and then assess the relationships between these experiences and teachers' own reported satisfaction and commitment to the teaching profession. I find substantial variation in the support experienced by early-career teachers. I also find that mentorship, both formal and informal, and perceptions of professional development are positively associated with satisfaction and commitment. Other contextual organizational factors also play a role in early-career teachers' experiences and outcomes.My second essay sits at the intersection of three areas of research: early-career teacher supports and outcomes, the charter school sector, and state-level policies on new teacher support in Michigan, the site of this study. Taking a mixed-methods approach, I use survey and interview data to compare early-career teachers' experiences of support and their outcomes across sectors in an effort to determine whether new teachers in each of these settings are on parallel paths or headed in diverging directions. I find that while early-career charter teachers report similar support experiences in the areas of mentorship and professional development as their peers in traditional public schools, they feel less supported, satisfied, and committed. Charter teachers believe that employment in the charter sector in inferior to the traditional public sector for a variety of reasons. Although supports for early-career teachers positively predict teacher outcomes across both sectors, I find evidence suggesting that mentorship and professional development may be especially beneficial for charter teachers. This research has implications for a variety of audiences, including school leaders, charter school management organizations and authorizers, and policymakers.In my third essay, I intend to reach a wider audience beyond academia. Written with state, district, and school leaders in mind, this essay provides an accessible report of survey and interview findings, describing early-career teachers' experiences with assigned mentors, colleagues, and professional development. I also summarize early-career teacher outcomes and illustrate relationships among supports and outcomes. I provide accessible quantitative survey findings and summaries of interview themes. This piece also features the unique addition of advice offered by early-career teachers to policymakers and education leaders. This essay intends to showcase my ability to write for a broad audience and my desire to produce research with a timely impact on policy and practice.
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