Cultivating the next workforce with new models

Our teachers are craving change…they need it. A recent survey finds that teachers’ outlook on the profession is at an all-time low. Only 16 percent of teachers would recommend the profession to others and a whopping 70 percent of teachers report that their students are behind academically. The one-teacher, one-classroom model is no longer serving our teachers and students, particularly those students who have been historically marginalized and left out of opportunities. Education First advocates for new ways of recruiting, training, staffing and supporting teachers that show promise to increase teacher retention and wellbeing, while enabling teachers to provide engaging, affirming, and meaningful experiences for students.?

We recently shared a landscape scan that introduced the concepts of strategic school staffing and examples of a model for changing how teaching teams are structured. An element of some promising bright spots in reimagining the teaching profession is a paid teacher residency program. Paid teacher residencies are one way that local education agencies (LEAs) across the country are partnering with educator preparation programs (EPPs) to provide a year-long teaching experience that produces high-quality educators. These programs help recruit and retain teachers of color, and they also mitigate barriers for aspiring teachers, such as financial strain and lack of on-the-job training, by providing a paid residency year and additional support in navigating licensure required to be a teacher.

Developing a paid residency model takes a strong partnership between LEAs and EPPs. Education First, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, has developed a toolkit containing a curation of tools and vignettes designed to help LEAs and their EPP partners design, implement and continuously improve their residency model. This toolkit makes recommendations and provides steps to take for each stage of program development with clear direction for how the LEA and EPP should work together--all while taking into careful consideration the goals of the program and local stakeholders.?

LEAs and EPPs who are entertaining the idea of building a paid residency model or who are currently developing one can take advantage of this toolkit. Policymakers, funders, nonprofits and technical assistance providers supporting these partnerships also will find value in this new resource as they support LEAs and EPPs to collaborate toward a stronger, more sustainable teaching profession.

Download the Partnering on Paid Residencies Toolkit

As always, we recognize a toolkit may be best paired with dialogue. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to talk more about how we are reimagining the teaching profession.

?In solidarity,

Jenn Vranek

Founding Partner, Education First