July 12, 2022 –When the National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) launched its Black Educators Initiative (BEI) in 2019, we immediately sought to externally evaluate its impact. It was important to NCTR that an external, third party collect and analyze data from our grantees and the teacher residents directly benefiting from BEI to determine just how the initiative we designed was making a difference in the lives of Black teacher residents. We knew that the credibility that kind of analysis would create would be invaluable.
We were exceedingly fortunate that the Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL) at Columbia University also saw the value in our vision and agreed to take on an evaluation of BEI in the fall of 2021. We were also fortunate that the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation, a long-standing funder of NCTR’s work, saw the importance of evaluating BEI and was willing to fund NCTR and CPRL’s partnership.
NCTR and CPRL are very pleased to release “Recruitment and Retention of Black Educators: Promising Strategies at Eight U.S. Teacher Residencies.” This report solidifies the growth of BEI-supported residency programs in Year 2, while also providing new findings and a fresh perspective on the importance of financial support in retaining Black teacher residents in teacher residency programs in NCTR’s Network and BEI.
Research found that every $10,000 increase in resident stipends was associated with a 4 percentage point increase in the share of Black residents per program. CPRL’s evaluation also found that the availability of stipends and emergency funds was the difference between a Black teacher resident staying or leaving a BEI-supported teacher residency program.
“I cannot say enough about how amazing those emergency funds are and what $250 can do for someone who is on the verge of having their lights cut off. That money saves them from mental stress and trauma.” – BEI-supported Residency Administrator
We are thankful to CPRL for their collaboration on this report. NCTR is also grateful to Ballmer Group for their ongoing support of BEI. We also extend our gratitude to the BEI grantees who work closely with NCTR to implement the supports they provide to Black teacher residents. We appreciate their willingness to participate in this evaluation that has made this report possible.
We invite you to read this report that magnifies the importance of investing in Black teacher residents because there is a difference, and BEI is making it. #TheBEIDifference
Sincerely,
Carrie Scheib