The second in the series of "Lessons Learned" reports on new teachers raises questions about the support given to those who come to the profession through "alternate routes." "Working Without a Net" finds alternate route teachers are especially motivated by the desire to help disadvantaged children, but at the same time they're more disheartened by the conditions they find in the classroom.

Working Without a Net focuses on new teachers in high-needs schools, comparing the perspectives of those from traditional teacher education versus those from three alternate-route programs: Teach for America , Troops to Teachers and The New Teacher Project.

The differences between the two types of first-year teachers is striking. Traditionally-trained teachers working in high-needs schools and at the secondary level report similar problems to some degree, butthe issues are more pronounced among the alt-route teachers in the survey.

For example, even among those teaching in high-needs schools, alt-route teachers are much more likely than traditionally trained teachers (64 percent versus 41 percent) to say that they have been assigned classes with some of the hardest-to-reach students in the school, while the more experienced teachers are assigned less challenging classes.

More than half (54 percent) of new alt-route teachers in high-needs schools say "lack of support from administrators" is a major drawback to teaching, compared with just 1 in 5 (20 percent) new teachers who are traditionally trained. Fewer than a quarter (22 percent) of alt-routes in high-needs schools said their cooperating teachers gave them "excellent" feedback on managing the classroom, compared to more than half (56 percent) of traditionally-trained teachers in high-needs schools.

These differences persist even when controlling for a high-needs school environment. The study questions whether the contrast comes out of differences in the reception, training and support these alternate-route teachers receive on the job or whether they stem from different standards these new teachers (many of whom come out of selective colleges and universities or have served in the military) may bring to the job.

Find out more and download the full report at: http://www.publicagenda.org/lessonslearned2/