This study describes the characteristics and experiences of beginning public school teachers in the Northeast and Islands Region states and compares them with the characteristics and experiences of beginning teachers nationally using data from the 2007/08 Schools and Staffing Survey. This study uses data from the 2007/08 Schools and Staffing Survey to describe the characteristics and experiences of beginning teachers in the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands Region states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont) and nationally. Beginning teachers are defined as teachers who reported that they started teaching during or after the 2003/04 school year and therefore had fewer than five years of teaching experience. The report focuses on variables related to teachers' preparation and workplace supports that research suggests might be associated with their perceptions of preparedness, effectiveness, and retention.
