Program-leader recommendations for strengthening teacher apprenticeship experiences¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Based directly on apprentices' perspectives, the report recommends that program leaders invest in recruitment through advising, outreach events, and peer ambassadors; offer flexible timelines and robust supports for adult learners; ensure consistent placement with high-quality, trained, representative mentors; maximize time apprentices spend with mentor-teachers and limit assignments forcing them to teach alone; provide clear, regular, transparent communication about costs, salaries, and expectations; and invest in structured cohort models to foster community and retention.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• District-EPP partnership capacity to host candidates and supply mentors

Constraints¶

• The report states no two states will have the same education policy landscape, so applicability and feasibility of policies differ state-by-state

Target Learners¶

• teacher apprentices, especially apprentices of color and adult learners

Target Learning Goals¶

• completion of high-quality teacher preparation leading to licensure and retention in the profession

Claims¶

Related Strategies¶

• Sustain and expand residency pathways through maintained state grant funding, financial aid, apprenticeship structures, and technical assistance
• Develop high-retention pathways — Grow Your Own programs and teacher residencies — to build and diversify local teacher supply
• 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
• Treat pathway legitimacy as a design target: ensure alternative routes are perceived as legitimate, usable, and socially recognized

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Nathan Kriha, Diarese George, Jonathan Feinstein, and Anna Skubel. (2025). Building Futures: Strengthening the Educator Workforce Through Teacher Apprenticeships. EdTrust. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED678833