NCTR Network members and NCTR’s Black Educators Initiative (BEI) are committed to preparing teacher residents of color, particularly to teach students of color. As evidence of this commitment, 67% of teacher residents enrolled in teacher residency programs of NCTR Network members for 2023-2024 identify as people of color (POC), whereas only 21% of all new teachers nationally identify as POC. In addition, this year NCTR awarded over $3 million in grants to 29 teacher residency programs of the NCTR Network to recruit, prepare, and retain Black educators as part of BEI, which is currently in its fifth year.

By providing salaries, stipends, or scholarships and helping to cover the costs of tuition, program and testing fees, and other costs associated with becoming a teacher, NCTR Network members make teaching more financially accessible. In an evaluation of NCTR’s Black Educators Initiative, the Center for PublicResearch and Leadership at Columbia University (CPRL) found that every $10,000 increase in teacher resident stipends increased the number of Black teacher residents in early grantee programs by 4 percentage points.^ Qualitative data from surveys of teacher residents enrolled in teacher residency programs of NCTR Network members conducted by NCTR further underscore the importance and impact of financial support.

NCTR’s vision is that students of color and students from under-resourced communities have equitable access to effective, diverse, and culturally responsive educators. Consistent with this, 79% of teacher residents who graduated from teacher residency programs of NCTR Network members in the previous year were hired to teach in a Title I school. In total, 2022-2023 graduates from this year’s programs in theNCTR Network have filled 842 positions in Title I schools.

NCTR’s teacher residency model and Levers for Equitable Teacher Residencies are rooted in research-based practices focused on recruiting, preparing, and retaining highly effective day-one ready teachers, particularly teachers of color. Data from surveys of principals, teacher residents, and graduates conducted by NCTR indicate that the teacher residency programs of NCTR Network members effectively prepare teacher residents for their roles as teachers, in addition to preparing them to stay in the profession. Ninety percent of teacher residents enrolled in teacher residency programs of NCTR Network members report that their programs are committed to ensuring teacher residents of all backgrounds and identities can thrive and succeed as educators.

By design, teacher residency programs of NCTR Network members work in collaborative partnership with community members and organizational partners that represent the diversity of the communities they serve to understand and meet the needs of local school districts and school communities. This is evidenced by programs’ graduates’ preparation in specialized subject areas that are typically challenging to fill. Among last year’s graduates of teacher residency programs of NCTR Network members, 17% were prepared to teach a STEM subject, 10% were prepared to teach emergent multilingual learning, and 36% were prepared to teach special education (SPED).

The impact of teacher residency programs of NCTR Network members also extends beyond teacher residents and graduates to the culture and learning of students at the schools where they work, as well as the teachers who mentor and help guide their learning in the classroom.