It’s Just Better: Moving Away from Teacher-of-Record Models to Residencies in a Community College Program

• In Event: Within Reach: A State Transformation Toward Universal, Paid, Sustainable Teacher Residencies in New Mexico

Abstract

Objectives: As with the prior presentation, this panelist will focus on the transformation of existing programs—here, teacher-of-record programs in a post-baccalaureate community college pathway.
This institution was the major supplier of special education teachers for a large district, and concerns about both quality and longevity of the novice teacher pool in special education led the district to invest in full salaries and benefits for individuals to become special education teachers through a residency model. The institution’s coursework and staffing structures required significant shifts to accommodate the residency design, which they accomplished. In addition, the residency committed to a radical redesign of both recruitment and placement sites, bringing the residency to the highest need area of the district, which included English Learners. Program staffing shifts provided opportunities for the college to reimagine its teacher preparation mission to evolve towards universal paid residencies, in line with the community college’s commitment to paid internships in other fields.
Framework: As with the prior presentation, district leadership viewed a root cause of teacher labor market challenges as stemming from the fact that most aspiring teachers cannot work for free to become licensed, so they forego teaching as a career, or they enter the profession underprepared through teacher-of-record pathways. Because high-quality, paid teacher residencies are designed with labor market match needs in mind, they can address a root cause of three critical needs for the nation: teacher turnover, diversity, and equitable access to fully credentialed teachers.
Modes of inquiry/Evidence: This portion of the symposium also draws on case study approaches to document the college’s changing relationship to teacher preparation pathways. Evidence includes reflective insights from college leaders and PED officials and formal interviews.
Warrants: Building broadly shared agreements about the value of the dramatic shift from teacher-of-record models to teacher residencies is critical to sustain residencies when staff shift. Teacher residencies can ultimately become compatible with licensure-only programs.
Significance: Between 30% and 60% of new teachers in many states enter the profession with provisional licensure as teachers-of-record while they complete coursework and receive mentoring. These programs are now so much a part of the teacher preparation ecosystem that any transformation of the system towards residencies must include consideration of these very different contexts, models, and aspiring teacher populations. Understanding how a large provider of teacher-of-record program pathways has built the will and moved towards residencies is critical for states who want to shift to residencies.

Author

• Jesse Chenven, Central New Mexico Community College