Using Improvement Science to Implement and Evaluate a Teacher Residency Program in Rural School Districts

Abstract

As teacher preparation paths change and rural areas have opportunities to engage qualified community members in the teaching profession, a flagship university co-developed a teacher residency program with two school districts located in rural communities. Through this partnership, the Networked Improvement Community focused on root causes of recruitment and retention challenges in the rural school districts. Using an improvement science approach, a 14-month residency model was developed to recruit qualified community members to transition to the teaching profession, with a focus on mirroring the diversity of the local community. This study focuses on the development of the residency model and the recruitment of teacher residents for the initial cohort of this alternative teacher preparation program.