Recruitment, Retention, and Thriving of Residents From Minoritized Backgrounds

• In Event: Answerability, Urgency, and Joy: Revitalizing and Reinvigorating Teacher Education Through Residency

Abstract

Objectives: Reporting on findings from a larger longitudinal project on an urban teacher residency program at a research university in the northeast, this paper explores barriers and opportunities that enable or constrain the recruitment, retention, and thriving of people of color in a teacher residency program with commitments to diversifying the profession. This paper explores the following questions: What on-ramps are effective in recruiting and supporting people from minoritized backgrounds as they transition into teacher education programs? What supports enable participation and success in a residency program? What features do program alumni cite as critical to their success? What policy changes would substantively support improvements in teacher diversity?
Conceptual Framework: Employing a critical sociocultural lens (Alexakos, 2015; Kincheloe & aclaren, 2003) to situate the experiences of teacher residency candidates of color within the broader district, local, state, and national context illuminates both the efforts that have been made to diversify the profession, and the limits to such efforts when not matched with necessary institutional or policy shifts. This critical frame allows for analysis of teacher residency candidates’ cases, including their experiences in evaluating, pursuing, and ultimately navigating (or opting out of) particular programs and pathways and the profession as a whole.
Methods & Data: To explore research questions, we utilized a qualitative approach using data from four cohorts (n=70) of teacher residents. Data included interview and program effectiveness surveys, focus groups, interviews, and demographic data. Analysis drew from Charmaz’s (2011) notion of social justice inquiry, which recognizes that “issues concerning social justice occur in micro situations and meso contexts, as well as in macro worlds and processes” (p.359).Utilizing a grounded approach allowed us to combine “empirical scrutiny and analytic precision [that] fosters creating nuanced analyses of how social and economic conditions work in specific situations” (Charmaz, 2011, p.361).
Findings: Analysis revealed that candidates of color who applied to a residency program experienced obstacles and opportunities that fell within several categories. Obstacles included cost (opportunity and program), standardized exams, certification-related and other pre-requisite requirements, confidence in ability to meet program expectations and/or perceived difficulties in navigating institutional systems, and time. Opportunities and supports that enabled participation and thriving included: application and onboarding support, living stipends, tuition support, cohort model, individualized support in navigating systems, a year-long residency in the district where residents would be employed, and a consortium-based approach to induction. Additional policy shifts, including removal of the GRE and state-level general education core requirements were perceived as beneficial in reducing barriers to entry.
Significance: It is essential to understand barriers and opportunities that enable or constrain the participation and thriving of teachers from minoritized backgrounds. Our findings suggest that recruitment itself does not always present a challenge--there are many would-be teachers from minoritized backgrounds who are committed to joining the teaching profession. What is a challenge is assembling the resources that make the pursuit and sustainability of such a career possible-- financial resources, institutional supports, advising and mentoring supports, and policy shifts.

Authors

• Yuldonna Middleton, University at Buffalo - SUNY

• Arethetta Ming, University at Buffalo - SUNY

• Seoyeon Lee, University at Buffalo - SUNY