The Colorado Consortium of Residency Educators (CO-CORE), a unique group of partners across higher education and non-profit organizations in Colorado, has received a $400,000 federal grant from the Institute of Education Sciences to study what makes teacher residencies effective as a teacher preparation strategy and how to sustainably fund their most important elements.
Teacher residencies, often compared to medical residencies, offer yearlong experiences co-teaching with accomplished teachers as a central part of the preparation of novice teachers. The first of its kind in the country, this study will determine the components of residency programs that serve as quality indicators of teacher effectiveness. Ultimately, the research will provide the state with the capacity to assess the quality of teacher residency programs, follow the transition of residents into the first years of teaching, and evaluate their investment.
PEBC (and the Boettcher Teacher Residency) are honored to be the sole non-profit contributor to the study
As the number of teacher residency programs has grown in Colorado and across the country, the range of preparation approaches has grown as well, raising questions about the quality and effectiveness of these different approaches. This two-year study will analyze data from a range of residency program models from across the state to understand what makes programs effective and determine and provide comparable metrics to understand program success.
PEBC’s Chief Policy Officer, Sue Sava, noted “As the only non-profit involved in CO-CORE, PEBC is excited to bring its distinct perspective to the collaborative. Our deep relationships with schools, districts and communities across the state, including in many rural areas, will allow us to strengthen the data collection and reporting involved in this project.”
DENVER (July 11, 2017) –The Colorado Consortium of Residency Educators (CO-CORE), a unique group of partners across higher education and non-profit organizations in Colorado, has received a $400,000 federal grant from the Institute of Education Sciences to study what makes teacher residencies effective as a teacher preparation strategy and how to sustainably fund their most important elements.
Teacher residencies, often compared to medical residencies, offer yearlong experiences co-teaching with accomplished teachers as a central part of the preparation of novice teachers. The first of its kind in the country, this study will determine the components of residency programs that serve as quality indicators of teacher effectiveness. Ultimately, the research will provide the state with the capacity to assess the quality of teacher residency programs, follow the transition of residents into the first years of teaching, and evaluate their investment.
As the number of teacher residency programs has grown in Colorado and across the country, the range of preparation approaches has grown as well, raising questions about the quality and effectiveness of these different approaches. This two-year study will analyze data from a range of residency program models from across the state to understand what makes programs effective and determine and provide comparable metrics to understand program success.
PEBC’s Chief Policy Officer, Sue Sava, noted “As the only non-profit involved in CO-CORE, PEBC is excited to bring its distinct perspective to the collaborative. Our deep relationships with schools, districts and communities across the state, including in many rural areas, will allow us to strengthen the data collection and reporting involved in this project.”
The consortium is unique because it brings together a number of cross-sector Colorado collaborators who share a commitment to preparing the next generation of new teachers in partnership with school districts. Principal investigators, Rebecca Kantor, dean of the School of Education & Human Development at the University of Colorado Denver, and Karen Riley, dean of the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver will lead the study along with consortium members from University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Northern Colorado, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the Public Education and Business Coalition’s Boettcher Teacher Residency Program.
The research project is a partnership between CO-CORE, the Colorado Department of Education, Denver Public Schools, and a sustainable funding project of the Bank Street College of Education.
“Teacher preparation residencies show great promise, including strong findings that their graduates are more diverse and stay longer in the profession,” said Kantor. “Clear definitions of residency practices and research evidence to support investment in the model’s critical elements, however, are lacking. This study will help fill the gap in the existing research.”
Kantor and Riley said that the quality of a child’s teacher has been identified as the single most important in-school factor in educational attainment.
“Even in relatively high performing districts, Colorado faces challenges recruiting, preparing, hiring, supporting and retaining highly effective teachers. Without a well-prepared, stable educator workforce, the state will not be able to reach its educational goals,” said Riley. “Teacher residencies provide a balanced approach to teacher preparation that combines classroom-based experience with academics and theoretical foundations to create a comprehensive learning experience. Teacher candidates graduate with skills in what to do, the theoretical understanding of why methods are effective, and the foundational knowledge of how to modify practice when necessary.”
