Registered Teacher Apprenticeship: Exploring the Experiences and Perceptions of Kansas’ Pilot Program Participants

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:20 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Transformational Clinical Practice and Apprenticeships (Table 11)

Abstract

In 2022, Tennessee invested federal COVID-19 relief funds to become the first state to implement a Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program (RTAP). Many states, including Kansas, quickly followed and invested in developing a similar model to address the teacher shortage crisis exacerbated by the pandemic. RTAPs are new teacher training frameworks of on-the-job learning, mentorship, and continuing education within a competency-based system. The Kansas pilot RTAP was launched in the fall of 2023 with 15 apprentices and mentors from 6 school districts. This mixed methods study primarily utilized focus groups to understand Kansas’ participant experiences for the purpose of informing continuous program improvement. Study results provide insights into important aspects of designing, scaling, and evaluating a sustainable RTAP model.

Authors

• Katie L. Allen, McREL International

• Shane Carter, Kansas State Department of Education

• Tracie Crowl, McREL International

• Joel Gillaspie, Kansas State Department of Education

• Dylan P. J. Kriescher, McREL International

• Nathan Pope, McREL International