As the number of alternatively certified teachers entering the teaching workforce continues to grow annually, issues of retention and attrition become heightened when up to one-third of alternatively certified beginning teachers abandon a field they have just entered. Comprehensive induction programs that include a strong mentoring component become even more critical in helping to retain these teachers who are often employed in schools that provide minimal support and mentoring. Online mentoring has been found to be a viable option for beginning teachers who are faculty of schools with limited physical and monetary resources.

This investigation will explore how online mentoring, also known as ementoring, can be integrated with other induction components to deliver an effective induction program for alternatively certified beginning teachers currently teaching in a large urban school district. The investigation will further add to the literature base on effective induction programs, online mentoring, and alternatively certified beginning teachers.

Guiding the evaluation and research methods were the following core research questions: (1) How can ementoring be used to enhance beginning teacher support and the induction process? (2) How can ementoring be used in conjunction with face-to-face interactions (meetings and school based mentoring) to enhance beginning teacher support? (3) What elements of an ementoring program promote and/or hinder alternatively certified beginning teachers’ ability to interact, reflect, engage, and implement their learning?

Findings will be useful in helping to better understand the dynamics of mentoring via an on-line forum and maximize the potential of ementoring within a comprehensive induction program.