Build high-retention, supportive pathways into teaching for candidates of color¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 design), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The report recommends that states and districts underwrite preparation costs through service scholarships and loan forgiveness, fund teacher residencies with year-long apprenticeships and stipends, develop Grow Your Own programs recruiting from "nontraditional populations (e.g., high school students, paraprofessionals, and after-school program staff)", fund intensive preparation support programs, adopt performance assessments such as the edTPA, and design data systems monitoring the racial diversity of preparation enrollees.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Service scholarship and loan forgiveness programs require a commitment to teach in high-need schools or subject areas, typically for 3 to 5 years, and tend to be more effective when they underwrite a significant portion of educational costs.
• Teacher residency participants commit to teaching an additional 3 to 4 years in their district, with ongoing mentoring support.

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• Prospective teachers of color, including high school students, paraprofessionals, and college students

Target Learning Goals¶

• Entering and completing high-quality teacher preparation and remaining in teaching in high-need schools

Claims¶

• University of Houston residency completers retain in teaching at rates above state averages (93% after year one; 3- and 5-year retention 10 and 7 points above state averages for the 2019 cohort) [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Develop high-retention pathways — Grow Your Own programs and teacher residencies — to build and diversify local teacher supply
• Establish high-retention preparation pathways—residencies, Grow Your Own models, service scholarships, and mentoring/induction—to stem turnover in high-need subjects and schools
• Offer targeted service scholarships, loan forgiveness, and 1-year postbaccalaureate residency programs to rapidly expand the supply of well-prepared teachers in shortage fields and locations
• Deploy service scholarships, loan forgiveness, and teacher residencies to staff high-need fields and schools
• Underwrite comprehensive preparation, improve teaching conditions, raise compensation, and expand induction to retain teachers of color
• Provide financial support and induction mentoring in exchange for a multi-year teaching commitment
• Sustain and expand residency pathways through maintained state grant funding, financial aid, apprenticeship structures, and technical assistance
• Design service scholarships that cover a substantial portion of preparation costs, with stable multiyear funding and linked data systems
• A federal Marshall Plan for Teaching focused on seven areas: compensation, debt-free preparation, high-retention pathways, mentoring, expertise-sharing, school redesign, and accountability
• Seven-policy comprehensive approach to equalizing student access to certified and experienced teachers
• State and federal policy recommendations: recruit and prepare more candidates, retain new teachers through early-career mentoring, and improve working conditions
• Build an after-school/OST-to-teaching pipeline to recruit teachers of color
• Recruit classified school employees into teacher credentialing with braided funds plus individualized financial and non-financial supports
• Build a diverse teacher pipeline through Grow Your Own grants, teacher academies, scholarships, MSI investment, and residency pathways
• Diversify the educator workforce through Grow Your Own programs, scholarships, and retention supports
• Invest in retention efforts for teachers of color that improve working conditions and provide personal and professional growth opportunities
• Retain teachers of color through leadership pipelines, multi-year induction and mentoring, and culturally responsive school climates
• Multi-pronged state investments to diversify and retain the educator workforce
• State policy levers for sustaining yearlong, stipended clinical preparation: require or incentivize full-year stipended clinical experience, fund partnerships, and reduce testing fees
• Six state policy steps to support early educator preparation, paired with adequate compensation and retention policies
• Use Teacher Residency Grant Program funds, braided with other sources, to recruit and retain a diverse teaching workforce
• Deploy a portfolio of research-based strategies — service scholarships, residencies, Grow Your Own programs, mentoring and induction, and compensation reform — to strengthen the teacher pipeline
• Expand loan forgiveness, high-retention preparation pathways, and compensation supports to reduce teacher loan burdens and strengthen recruitment and retention
• Invest in retention of teachers of color through residencies, affinity groups, and induction/mentoring
• Six state policy recommendations to stabilize, support, and expand the early childhood workforce and build diverse TK pathways
• Five state policy actions to sustain and scale teacher residencies
• Pre-service education programs should recruit diverse inner-city students and validate their cultures and experiences

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Carver-Thomas, D. (2018). Diversifying the teaching profession: How to recruit and retain teachers of color. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/diversifying-teaching-profession. doi:10.54300/559.310