Mentoring is a central component in the induction period of beginning teachers (BTs). Moreover, it further serves as a stepping-stone to BTs’ own professional development. Over the last two decades, the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Israel has invested significant financial and other resources for the development of mentoring programs (Orland-Barak & Hasin, 2010; Schatz-Oppenheimer, 2021). In its earlier stage, mentoring was practiced in its traditional form, namely, experienced teachers were appointed to provide one-on-one dyadic assistance to BTs from the same discipline. Recently, new approaches to mentoring based on collaborative models have been introduced (Schatz-Oppenheimer, 2021). These models challenge the basic conception of mentors as knowledge transmitters and instead, highlight collaborative knowledge construction, generating peer and group knowledge (Pennanen et al, 2015). Nevertheless, the professional status of mentoring in the Israeli educational system remains questionable. First, approximately 50% of active mentors have not participated in professional training workshops designated for mentors. Second, mentoring is not perceived as a leading position in school (Arviv-Elyashiv et al, 2021). Third, BTs perceive principals' involvement and support more significant than mentors’ support regarding their satisfaction and retention (Donitsa-Schmidt et al, 2021). So far, the professional development of mentoring in the Israeli educational system received limited attention in the professional literature. Recently, positioning mentors as leading professionals in the education system has gained momentum. Yet, comprehensive discussion on mentoring as a reciprocal developmental process and life -long learning and of professional development is still in its initial stages. Drawing on developmental career theories (Dominguez & Hager, 2013) and learning theories (Allen et al, 2003), the current study aimed to examine the concept of mentoring from multiple perspective: The mentors, mentees and school principals. The study intends to contribute to the conceptualization of mentoring as a basis for establishing professional development for BTs. Data collection was conducted based on an anonymous on-line questionnaire among three relevant stakeholders in the development of mentoring in the educational field: principals (133), mentors (1,061) and mentees (1,196). Preliminary findings show that mentoring is perceived as an important component of the socialization process of BTs. This conception emphasizes the traditional approach to mentoring. Perceiving mentoring as a route for career development or as a life-long learning and professional development are still less frequent among principals, but increasingly developed among mentors and mentees. Implications of these developments will discussed in the presentation.

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