Abstract
Often novice elementary teachers struggle during their first years due to the lack of professional development and support during their first years. A lack of alignment between what they learned in their teacher preparation program in college and the reality of what they do in the classroom also presents challenges to their success. The problem is exacerbated when novice elementary teachers do not receive targeted support from administrators, reading coaches, and mentors for improving reading instruction. The purpose of this proposed mixed methods study was to determine the nature and scope of individualized and in-service reading support novice elementary teachers receive from those who are responsible for their success in delivering high quality reading instruction and to determine the knowledge of effective reading instruction of those who evaluate and/or supervise novice reading teachers and who determine their professional development needs. Informing administrators and others about the struggles these teachers face can help them be proactive in supporting novice teachers, which, in turn, would reduce teacher frustration and attrition. Although findings revealed problems with the quality and quantity of targeted reading support provided to novice elementary teachers by the school district, it was also found novice elementary teachers are provided more beneficial and effective reading support from school sites. It was concluded a continuous effort should be made to improve the focused teacher evaluation model (FTEM) to be more reading focused and provide consistent reading support amongst all support personnel at every elementary school. Addressing these findings could ensure adequate support is provided to novice elementary teachers needs to be strengthen their reading instruction and improve novice teacher preparation programs. Keywords: effective reading instruction, novice elementary reading teacher, novice reading teacher support, professional development, reading support