Findings from 20 interviews conducted with individuals involved in the California New Teacher Project, which is administered by the California Department of Education and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, are reported to assess the policy environment for new teacher support and assessment programs. The study was conducted by the Southwest Regional Laboratory (California). Persons interviewed included legislative staff, Department of Education staff, Department of Finance staff, representatives of educational interest groups, and policy analysts. Changes in the policy environment for new teacher support and assessment programs since the program began in the fall of 1988 are summarized. The interview process and subsequent analysis are also described. The open-ended interviews were tailored to deduce issues of concern to interviewees. Interviews ranged from 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the depth of the responses and the necessity for follow-up questions. The inductive analysis of interview notes illuminated the extent of support for the program, state funding, roles of local educational agencies and institutions of higher education, integration of the program into the state comprehensive staff development program and the California Mentor Teacher Program, licensure and tenure issues, and instruction of ethnolinguistically diverse students by predominantly Anglo teachers. (TJH)