This study examined an innovative approach to student teaching, where pairs of secondary teacher candidates worked together under the guidance of a single mentor teacher. Like studies of partnered student teachers at the elementary level, our study found that paired secondary student teacher candidates developed a more intense and effective relationship with their mentor than did student teachers who worked alone under the guidance of a mentor teacher. By restructuring the relationship between students and their mentor, partnering created a new and more powerful dynamic, one that centered more on pedagogy than on personality. As mentor teachers found that guiding paired student teachers was more complex and demanding, they endorsed this innovation. Our results lend support to an emerging literature that suggests that paired placements form a more effective way of preparing teachers. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)