California is facing a consistent urgency to address chronic teacher shortages, which disproportionately affect students with lower income and students of color. Teacher residencies have shown promise with helping districts meet specific workforce needs, diversify their workforce, and retain residency completers in high-need schools.
Purpose
In partnership with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), WestEd is conducting the external formative evaluation of the Teacher Residency Grant Program (TRGP), a statewide initiative designed to support and expand teacher residency programs.
The evaluation tracks the extent to which the program is progressing toward grant outcomes while also identifying implementation challenges and providing timely data for practitioners and policymakers to address those challenges as the initiative evolves.
Through this project, WestEd is providing findings that not only benefit the TRGP but may also offer valuable insights that can inform similar initiatives aimed at improving teacher preparation and addressing shortages.
Audiences Served
The evaluation assists policymakers, technical assistance providers, and residency practitioners in better understanding and supporting TRGP grant progress while also capturing learning that will support the broader field in making informed decisions for launching and implementing residency initiatives.
Project Activities
The evaluation uses a mixed-methods approach to explore elements of TRGP grant implementation and the extent to which the TRGP is strengthening the teacher pipeline statewide and regionally. Patterns of teacher resident enrollment, program completion, hiring, and retention are displayed in the California Teacher Residency Grant Dashboard.
Project Director
Kate Hirschboeck
Funder
This project is funded in full by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Project Duration
10/18/23–12/31/2028
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Melissa Eiler White
Kate Hirschboeck
