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This study examined new teachers' perspectives of the mentoring they were or were not receiving, who their mentors were, types of mentoring they were receiving, and roles played by facilitators at the Teachers College New Teacher Institute (NTI). Data came from focus groups and interviews with nine past NTI teachers, needs assessment focus groups with new teachers, and needs assessment interviews with principals. The general theme that surfaced was that of variation in terms of formal mentoring. Many new teachers were not assigned mentors. Those who were assigned mentors reported varying structures of their individual mentoring experiences. The frequency and duration of formal mentoring sessions also varied among respondents. Both principals and NTI facilitators recognized these inconsistencies in mentoring experiences. Many of the new teachers took a self-advocacy role in their efforts to get their mentoring needs met. Many respondents mentioned a desire for a mentor to model lessons and for more frequent mentoring, preferably from a teacher within the district. New teachers felt that the NTI could better meet their mentoring needs by having former new teachers come and speak to them in varying ways. (Contains 41 references.) (SM)