Rural Residencies Are Key to Recruitment

• In Event: Portrait of a Program: Reconceptualizing and Revitalizing Rural Teacher Preparation

Abstract

In 1891, Chico Normal School graduated its first class of teachers and today, California State University, Chico annually prepares approximately 300 teachers, many of whom remain in the 12-county region of far northern California. Although rooted in an agricultural region, the teacher preparation program had not been overtly rural in its focus. In 2009, that changed when CSU, Chico’s School of Education was awarded the first of two federal Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grants enabling innovative new programs to explicitly prepare teachers in high need rural districts. This paper will describe the research conducted on these two programs and the positive outcomes that have refocused efforts on the unique contexts of the rural region.

The grant-funded programs, Rural Teacher Residency (RTR) and Residency in Secondary Education (RiSE), enabled graduates to earn a credential and a Master’s degree in one year. Participants were recruited from CSU, Chico’s primarily rural region and beyond. The TQP grant funding provided participants with a stipend which was forgivable if the graduates worked in a high need district for three years upon completion of the program. Approximately 60% of the graduates accepted jobs in the 12-county rural region, and about 1/3 of those were in TQP partner districts. These programs have been key to address the regional teacher shortage caused by a 30-40% of teachers who are expected to retire by 2024 (Fong, Makkonen, & Jaquet, 2016).

Key components of both RTR and RiSE were a year-long placement in one classroom with a mentor teacher; supported co-planning and co-teaching strategies; place-conscious curriculum; and an action research culminating project. Before beginning their yearlong placement, program participants conducted a comprehensive study of the community where they would be teaching in order to inform their sense of place and to develop place-based learning opportunities (See Author, 2018).

The grant programs were evaluated using several measures including quantitative analysis to measure impacts of the program’s graduates on student achievement outcomes using state testing data. Additionally, qualitative data was collected to determine impacts on the graduates’ experience as teachers. Research conducted on the RTR program by (Author & Co-researcher, 2019) found that nearly all graduates had a high sense of self efficacy. The yearlong residency enabled program participants to develop strong ties to their partner schools and deep relationships with students and their families. Survey respondents and focus group participants noted that they typically chose rural because that is what they knew or where they were currently living, but some data indicates that approximately 10% of the graduates who were not predisposed to live in rural places, were persuaded to seek rural teaching jobs because of their experience in the program

Author

• Ann K. Schulte, California State University - Chico