State policy levers for sustaining yearlong, stipended clinical preparation: require or incentivize full-year stipended clinical experience, fund partnerships, and reduce testing fees¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

For state policymakers, the report recommends that states "Require or incentivize candidates to complete a full year of stipended clinical experience to earn a teaching credential", fund EPPs and district partners to develop and sustain yearlong clinical experiences including mentor compensation, provide guidance and technical assistance for practice-based coursework redesign and shared governance, require robust EPP–district partnerships in program approval, blend and braid funds for paid residencies, and reduce or eliminate testing fees.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Funding streams (federal, state, philanthropic) to sustain paid residencies
• Technical assistance providers experienced in practice-based course redesign

Constraints¶

• Recommendations are drawn from three case-study programs in one state context; the report states its purpose was to elevate best practices, not to comprehensively evaluate programs

Target Learners¶

• Prospective and current teacher candidates statewide, particularly in high-need certification fields

Target Learning Goals¶

• A well-qualified, stable, and diverse teacher workforce prepared to meet diverse student needs from day one

Related Strategies¶

• Policy recommendations for sustaining and expanding teacher residencies
• Sustain and expand residency pathways through maintained state grant funding, financial aid, apprenticeship structures, and technical assistance
• 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
• Underwrite comprehensive preparation, improve teaching conditions, raise compensation, and expand induction to retain teachers of color
• Use Teacher Residency Grant Program funds, braided with other sources, to recruit and retain a diverse teaching workforce
• Design service scholarships that cover a substantial portion of preparation costs, with stable multiyear funding and linked data systems
• Use state completer survey data within accreditation to flag struggling programs and expand subsidized high-quality clinical pathways for underserved candidates
• District investment of LCFF funds in residency stipends written into Local Control and Accountability Plans as a workforce development strategy
• Five state policy actions to sustain and scale teacher residencies

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• Bland, J. A., Ralph, K., Wei, W., Wang, V., Wojcikiewicz, S. K., & Wechsler, M. E. (2025). Investing in a high-quality teacher workforce: Lessons from Texas teacher preparation programs. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/871.327