Policy Brief

Strengthening the Education Workforce of Tomorrow Through Financially Sustainable Teacher Residency Programs

January 2024 | Education Resource Strategies

This presentation from Education Resource Strategies offers a solution for the funding challenges that accompany teacher residency programs’ traditional funding models: The related “players” in the teacher preparation pipeline, including residents, states, districts, higher education institutions, and residency programs, can work together through strategic resource trade-offs and innovative learning models to reduce their costs while developing effective teachers. Effective residency programs, while offering opportunities to nurture diverse teachers in hard-to-staff areas, often face prohibitive operating costs. The report outlines the different roles different teacher pipeline stakeholders can play in supporting residencies, collectively reducing financial barriers for residents, and supporting the work of effective residencies overall. Describing various steps different actors can take, including funneling residency stipend funding through state channels, rearranging school district budgets to account for residents as staff members, and strategically making tuition and staffing trade-offs at higher education institutions, the report is a helpful resource for residency administrators, state and district policymakers, and others interested in how to increase the financial sustainability of teacher residency programs.

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