Mentoring New Special Education Directors Through a Supplemental Preparation Program in Massachusetts

The purpose of this study was collect and analyze the perceptions of special education directors who attended a state funded Leadership Academy for new Special Education Directors in Massachusetts. The participants were member of the Accept Collaborative Leadership Academy (ACLA) cohorts 9 (2012) & 10 (2013). The two research questions for this study were: (1) what benefits were perceived by director's who participated in ACLA? (2) What is the perceived benefit to members of a Community of Practice (CoP) that developed as a result of ACLA?;The problem of practice focused on the challenges new special education directors face in their first years in the position and the need for a network of peer support. This qualitative study consisted of three focus groups made up of current Massachusetts special education directors who had attended ACLA. The theoretical framework chosen was Community of Practice (CoP) theory. The literature review contained summaries of the literature on the following topics: the role of the special education director, certification, standards for special education directors, preparation programs, supplemental training, mentoring and cohorts. Data was gleaned from focus group transcripts, demographic data and a topic/speaker ranking activity completed by the special education directors.;The study had six findings: (1) Directors who participated in focus group interviews and by submitting documents were extremely grateful for their experience in ACLA and the continued benefit of participating in reunions and CoP meetings over the years; (2) While individual mentoring was not the focus of the research questions, mentorship was discussed frequently in all focus groups. Directors spoke candidly about the lack of support from their districts such as not being assigned a mentor, or being assigned a mentor who did not have the credentials to assist them. (3) Directors were open to examining their own weaknesses in learning a new job and spoke candidly about their struggles in their first few years of their directorships and their continued challenges in the position. (4) New Special Education Directors in Massachusetts benefit from learning and networking with cohort peers and seasoned directors at the state-funded leadership academy and form a bond as members of a cohort of new directors statewide. (5) Most directors attending ACLA formed networks that continued to remain in contact on an informal basis. (6) After attending ACLA, some directors formed self-governing networks that continued to meet formally for professional development and networking purposes.