Investing in a High-Quality Teacher Workforce: Lessons from Texas Teacher Preparation Programs
This research report from the Learning Policy Institute examines the design, structure, and content of three high-quality educator preparation programs (EPPs) in Texas that offer full-year clinical teaching pathways. The report highlights common features across EPPs at federally designated minority-serving institutions: the University of Houston, the University of Texas at El Paso, and the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. To address challenges in teacher turnover and shortages, the report emphasizes how these EPPs provide high-quality learning opportunities through teacher residencies, mentorship models, strong EPP-district partnerships, and financial support for teacher candidates. Further, the report provides considerations for EPPs, for districts, and to strengthen educator preparation. It suggests a transformation of how EPPs and district administrators approach coursework, clinical practice, and financial support for residencies. Lastly, the report suggests that state policymakers support the development of partnerships between EPPs and PreK-12 districts to ensure that teacher candidates can access stipend clinical experience integrated with their coursework.