Residencies and Induction Are Key to a Diverse, Effective Workforce

For Immediate Release: October 11, 2018
Contact: Renee Rybak Lang, renee.lang@nasbe.org, 703-740-4841

Residencies and Induction Are Key to a Diverse, Effective Workforce

Alexandria, VA — State and district leaders should leverage policies for teacher residencies and induction to increase the diversity and effectiveness of their teaching workforce, as states like Hawaii and Louisiana are doing, says a new analysis from the National Association of State Boards of Education. Goals of workforce diversity and effectiveness can be mutually reinforcing, the analysis finds.

Students of color make up more than half the total student population, whereas teachers of color represent 18 percent of the profession across the country. From state to state, the gaps vary considerably and are rooted in a lack of representation in preparation programs and exacerbated by turnover. Teachers of color have expressed long-standing concerns over the lack of opportunities for support, growth, and accountability that lead toward mastery and leadership roles.

State and local leaders can address these concerns by expanding teacher residency and induction programs. Such programs can help ensure new teachers get a strong start and combat the compounded problems of isolated school cultures and inadequate supports and resources, especially for those serving traditionally underserved students.

Three states are focusing on residency programs. Louisiana’s Believe and Prepare Educator Grant Program aims to create a culture of shared leadership and collaboration between K-12 and higher education. In Illinois’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan, the Illinois State Board of Education explored strategies for developing a competitive grant program to fund residency-focused partnerships in teacher preparation. Tennessee leveraged funds to support teacher residencies in high-need districts, building strategies to address critical shortage areas and lack of teacher diversity in urban districts.

On induction, the Hawaii Teacher Induction Center’s statewide, three-year program has improved new-teacher practice, efficacy, school culture, and student outcomes and reduced turnover. North Carolina focused ESSA Title II, Part A funds on strengthening its Beginning Teacher Support Program, which is required for teachers in the first three years of their career. Connecticut is likewise targeting Title II, Part A toward strengthening teacher induction.

“Such programs signal high expectations and stature for teachers and can transform the entire system of teacher preparation,” Don Long, author of the analysis, concludes.

Read and share the NASBE State Innovation report, “Preparing Diverse, Effective Teachers through Residencies and Induction.”

NASBE is the only national organization giving voice and adding value to the nation’s state boards of education. A nonprofit organization founded in 1958, NASBE works to strengthen state leadership in educational policymaking, promote excellence in the education of all students, advocate equality of access to educational opportunity, and ensure continued citizen support for public education. Learn more at www.nasbe.org.

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