Alarming percentages of early career special educators, as many as 50%, leave education within five years (Edgar & Pair, 2005; Menlove, Garnes, & Salzberg, 2004; Plash & Piotrowski, 2006). These statistics are cause for grave concern. The purpose of this survey research study was to discover early career special educators' perceptions of the induction support they received. The findings of this research study suggest: (a) the majority of early career special educators report a gap in key knowledge areas; (b) most participants perceive the induction components/activities provided as no more than somewhat effective; (c) only half of participants had the benefit of a special education mentor; (d) support provided by mentors, administrators, and staff were perceived as no more than somewhat effective; (e) emotional support was rated higher than instructional support; (f) mentor and administrator support was not correlated to teachers' intent to remain in special education; (g) inordinate amounts of time are expended to meet demands of increasingly complex roles; and (h) one-third of participants are undecided about their long-term commitment. Given these findings, active steps need to be taken early to ensure that novice teachers have strong foundational knowledge. Attention must be given to increase equity of supports offered across districts. Critical accountability measures to monitor policy implementation have been absent, much like the "lack of rigorous evaluation" nationally (Smith, 2007). Increased training of mentors and administrators would provide greater support for early career teachers. Consideration must be given to include guaranteed planning time, financial acknowledgment for time worked, and novel approaches to case management responsibilities. Finally, other next steps include differentiated salary structures and early financial incentives, such as restructuring loan forgiveness. The ever-present shortage of special education teachers crosses all demographics and regions of Maine. Policy re-writes that address the unique needs of special educators and regionalizing efforts to support their growth offer great promise. Although mandates are not popular in our locally-controlled state, a review of induction supports is sorely needed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]