A yearlong practicum is being used by three groups to prepare college graduates for challenging classrooms in high-poverty schools. These programs, located in Boston, Chicago, and two districts near Denver, are gaining recognition for their success in addressing teacher turnover rates and improving outcomes in struggling schools. Advocates of these programs recently held a symposium to showcase their model and suggest that other school systems could benefit from similar approaches. Linda Darling-Hammond, an education professor at Stanford University, hailed the programs as a necessary reform in teacher education.
The three groups — the Urban School Leadership Academy in Chicago, the Boston Teacher Residency, and the Boettcher Teachers Program — formed the Coalition of Urban Teacher Residencies over a year ago. The Chicago academy is the oldest program and has graduated four classes of teachers, while the Denver program is the youngest with two graduating classes.
The coalition aims to share the knowledge and experiences gained from these programs. At their first annual event, the coalition aimed to spread awareness of the programs’ potential and encourage more school districts to adopt their model, which is similar to the medical residency concept. These programs pair aspiring teachers with experienced mentors in high-poverty schools for a full school year of practice teaching. They also provide education courses tailored to their classroom experiences.
The aspiring teachers, both recent college graduates and career-changers, receive stipends ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 based on the district. They also have the opportunity to earn tuition-free master’s degrees in Boston and Chicago, while in Denver, they can earn their degree over three years. Upon graduation, they are given teaching licenses and have the opportunity to secure a job within the district.
After their residency, these newly minted teachers receive support from coaches and further professional development for two or more years. In exchange for their stipends and tuition forgiveness, they commit to staying in their classrooms for 3 to 5 years. Similar to Teach For America, the residency programs have been successful in attracting strong and diverse candidates compared to traditional teacher-preparation programs. However, the retention rate for residency teachers is much higher than the average, with 95 percent of the graduates remaining in the classroom after completing the program. Administrators and the graduates themselves have noted that these new teachers are more effective in their roles compared to most rookies.
While the success of these programs is evident, there are still concerns about their costs. However, their positive outcomes and the potential for long-term impact justify the investment.
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– A school district in Chicago has partnered with an academy to improve the quality of education. This partnership has resulted in three low-performing schools being managed by the academy, making a total of five Chicago schools involved in the academy’s teacher-preparation program. Experts believe that this collaboration will enhance the quality of both the new teachers and the schools themselves.
However, these programs are costly mainly because the teachers are paid throughout their training. For instance, the budget for the Chicago academy this year is $3.1 million. Despite the high cost, proponents argue that it is a worthwhile investment when compared to the cost of teacher turnover and its impact on student achievement. According to Jesse Solomon, director of the Boston program, the Boston district lost an average of $17,000 for every first-, second-, or third-year teacher who left the district in the 2004-05 school year. These teachers were mostly replaced by inexperienced individuals who faced a steep learning curve in their first years of teaching. Supporters of these programs also highlight the importance of community support. The Chicago academy was founded by venture capitalist Martin J. Koldyke and continues to receive his active involvement. Similarly, the programs in Boston and Denver have been supported by civic groups and local foundations that are concerned about the quality of education in their respective areas. These programs expand the concept of a school district by involving a broader range of stakeholders. Mr. Solomon emphasized the role of the Boston Plan for Excellence, which collaborated with the school district to establish the local program, in providing critical feedback and innovative ideas. Additionally, it is considered invaluable to provide teachers with a year of training in the school system where they will eventually work. This creates a seamless transition from candidacy to career.
The programs also aim to redefine the roles of teachers as they gain experience. Timothy F.C. Knowles, co-founder of the Boston Teacher Residency and executive director of the Center for Urban School Improvement at the University of Chicago, hopes that these programs, which utilize the expertise of experienced teachers, will help establish the notion that teachers can take on different roles throughout their careers. This differentiation of roles is seen as a powerful aspect in a profession where teachers often perform the same tasks from the beginning to the end of their careers. A teacher in the Denver-area program, who has been a mentor for two years, shared her positive experience, noting that it has allowed her to develop constructive and collaborative relationships with other adults, which in turn has helped her build similar connections with her students.