Sustain and expand residency pathways through maintained state grant funding, financial aid, apprenticeship structures, and technical assistance¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 3 claims (1 for, 2 mixed) · 3 studies (2 associational, 1 design), q2–q3 · 0 of 3 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The report recommends that California policymakers maintain funding for the Teacher Residency Grant Program beyond its 2026–27 expiration, renew or replace the Golden State Teacher Grant Program's $20,000 tuition support, support residencies in establishing apprenticeship funding streams under Department of Labor guidelines, and continue funding the SRTAC. Federal recommendations include expanding Teacher Quality Partnership grants, upgrading the TEACH Grant to cover full tuition costs, and covering teachers' monthly federal loan payments until their debt is retired.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• State and federal appropriations dedicated to residency initiation, growth, and continuous improvement

Constraints¶

• TRGP funding is due to expire after the 2026–27 school year, and Golden State Teacher Grant funds were expected to run out in 2024–25

Target Learners¶

• Prospective teachers, particularly diverse candidates preparing for high-need communities

Target Learning Goals¶

• Access to affordable, high-quality preservice teacher preparation
• Recruitment and retention of effective teachers in shortage areas

Affordances¶

• Teacher Residency Model Framework

Claims¶

• Placing a full cohort of 25 residents as co-teachers in one high-need elementary school coincided with schoolwide achievement gains in ELA and mathematics within one year. [~W]
• The Teacher Residency Grant Program supported nearly 1,400 funded residents through 2023, with residency programs graduating nearly 5,000 residents between 2021 and 2024, many in shortage fields and most residents people of color [+W]
• Most grant-funded residency programs have not yet broadened funding sources or adopted cost-reduction strategies beyond the one-time grant [~W]

Related Strategies¶

• Sustain teacher residencies through blended federal and state funding, including TQP grants, ESSER funds, and dedicated state investments
• Build high-retention, supportive pathways into teaching for candidates of color
• Recommendations for sustainable and affordable residency programs: align with LEA strategy, engage system leaders, dedicate sustainability roles, and run affordability analyses
• Underwrite comprehensive preparation, improve teaching conditions, raise compensation, and expand induction to retain teachers of color
• Design service scholarships that cover a substantial portion of preparation costs, with stable multiyear funding and linked data systems
• 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
• Build a diverse teacher pipeline through Grow Your Own grants, teacher academies, scholarships, MSI investment, and residency pathways
• Policy recommendations for sustaining and expanding teacher residencies
• State policy levers for sustaining yearlong, stipended clinical preparation: require or incentivize full-year stipended clinical experience, fund partnerships, and reduce testing fees
• Use Teacher Residency Grant Program funds, braided with other sources, to recruit and retain a diverse teaching workforce
• State actions to strengthen and sustain a funded residency pathway: clarify goals, upgrade data systems, adjust grant parameters, offer transition grants, and pair new LEAs with experienced IHEs
• Use state completer survey data within accreditation to flag struggling programs and expand subsidized high-quality clinical pathways for underserved candidates
• Sustain and expand California's teacher workforce investments: continued GSTG funding, residency sustainability, NBCT uptake studies, and better program data
• Five state policy actions to sustain and scale teacher residencies
• Program-leader recommendations for strengthening teacher apprenticeship experiences

Examples¶

• Statewide Residency Technical Assistance Center (SRTAC): the technical assistance centre the report recommends continuing to fund

Key Sources¶

• Yun, C., & Fitz, J. (2025). Successful teacher residencies: What matters and what works. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/480.783