Released March 2025 — Teacher residency programs reflect the changing landscape of teacher preparation by advocating for reducing barriers of entry into the profession (most notably cost for candidates), ensuring a stronger connection between preparation and actual classroom experiences, and preparing teacher candidates to teach in the communities they are prepared in. The introduction of teacher registered apprenticeship programs (T-RAPs) has created an opportunity to build upon the evidence-based lessons learned over the past 20 years by teacher residency programs across the country. Whereas many may believe teacher residency programs only differ in the length of the clinical experience, key components of the teacher residency model can be found in and incorporated into T-RAPs as well.
In response to this similarity, the purpose of this report is to articulate how the teacher residency model and T-RAPs can complement each other to offer teacher preparation pathways that center quality, workforce-driven teacher preparation.