March 5, 2024 — California State University, Bakersfield’s (CSUB) Black Educator Teacher Residency (BETR), led by Bre Evans-Santiago, Ph.D., and Rhonda Conte, hosted leaders from six HBCUs from North Carolina for a National Center for Teacher Residencies’ (NCTR) Residency Design Academy (RDA) site visit during the final days of January. They were joined by Network residency leaders from Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC), Loyola Marymount University, and Avance Residency Los Angeles in a celebration of multiple new teacher residencies in the region working strategically to advance education and teacher development for teachers of color.
A key component of NCTR’s RDA programming is a visit to a Network member site, where educator preparation providers (often institutions of higher education) and district personnel join leaders of established residencies to build a shared vision and efficacy as they take key steps toward launching their programs. The visit to CSUB was designed specifically for six historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) from North Carolina (NC A&T, Bennett College, North Carolina Central University, St. Augustine’s University, Shaw University, and Livingstone College) who are working as a cohort throughout their RDA year.
As most educators know, teaching requires a deeper level of understanding than simply doing something. When you’re teaching, you need to be able to break down complex concepts, anticipate questions, and adapt your explanations to different learning styles. Not only did Evans-Santiago and Conte—joined by teacher residents, mentor teachers, school & district leaders, the university’s provost and president—describe their innovative programming, but they integrated references to NCTR’s eight Levers for Equitable Teacher Residencies throughout the tours, lectures and activities, while simultaneously fielding questions specific to the North Carolina HBCU context, providing guidance, and offering reflections on potential solutions. And as is the case in thriving education environments, the learning went both ways, with BETR’s team being prompted by the HBCU leaders to consider different perspectives on teacher residents’ needs and ideas for troubleshooting challenges.
Shared learning between programs is a hallmark of NCTR’s approach to transforming educator preparation. As BETR opened their minds and doors to this powerful collaboration, they made a significant contribution to advancing the teacher residency movement in the name of improved preparation, support, and retention of effective educators who reflect and value the communities they serve.