This paper reports the findings from the qualitative component of a study of first-year teachers in urban schools in Connecticut during the school year 1989-90. Five first-year teachers, each from a different school in the Hartford (Connecticut) Public School System, were interviewed at 2-week intervals throughout the school year. The study was designed to identify alterable factors that mediate the first-year experience. Previous conceptualizations of the first-year experience are analyzed, and policy implications are identified in light of the experience of these teachers. Four perspectives on the first-year experience that are prevalent in the research were examined: (1) adult socialization; (2) reality shock; (3) attitude and efficacy changes; and (4) teacher concerns. Findings suggest that by attending to beginning teacher age and school culture when assigning novices, promoting opportunities for adult collaboration, and encouraging administrator attention to the instructional performance of teachers, urban schools can positively affect the induction-year experience. There is a 50-item list of references. (SLD)