A month after the introduction of the Arizona Teacher Residency, an initiative through the Arizona K12 Center at Northern Arizona University supported by the Arizona Department of Education, the Arizona K12 Center is announcing partner school districts and the opening of the application for residents for the 2022-2023 school year.
Osborn School District, Roosevelt School District, and Tempe Elementary School District are the initial Arizona Teacher Residency district partners who will be hosting and supporting residents beginning in the 2022-2023 school year.
“This Arizona-centric program, funded by federal relief and recovery dollars, will be tailored to meet the needs of the unique communities it serves so that teachers who graduate from it will be prepared to meet the needs of students in those communities,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman. “Arizona must continue to elevate and respect the teaching profession if we are to recruit and retain educators in the long-term. I am so thankful for our partners at the Arizona K12 Center in sharing that vision.”
Osborn, Roosevelt, and Tempe Elementary district leaders all spoke about their excitement for partnering with the Arizona K12 Center in the Arizona Teacher Residency.
Ylenia Aguilar, president of the Osborn School Board, explained, “The Arizona Teacher Residency will broaden the pool of individuals entering the teaching profession. We are looking forward to a diverse workforce and highly effective and prepared teachers who will have a full year of experience before they take on teaching. We know this will translate to teacher retention and student achievement.”
Superintendent of Roosevelt School District Dr. Quintin Boyce said, “We look forward to strengthening the pipeline of high-quality educators to ensure quality learning experiences for our students, families and community. This program will not only benefit our students but will also help prepare and support our future teachers in Arizona.”
Superintendent of Tempe Elementary School District Dr. James Driscoll stated, “The Arizona Teacher Residency program is a gamechanger. The program is a collective effort grounded in research and evidence-based strategies to help address underrepresentation of teachers of color pursuing and committing to the profession of education. The students, teachers, staff, and community of Tempe Elementary School District are ready to advance excellence in the education profession.”
Dr. Victoria Theisen-Homer is the director of the Arizona Teacher Residency through the Arizona K12 Center at Northern Arizona University.
“We at the Arizona K12 Center are thrilled to start with these excellent partnerships,” she said. “As we expand the Arizona Teacher Residency in the coming years, we will add additional school district partners as well.”
The application form for prospective residents to join the Arizona Teacher Residency is now available. This is the first step for anyone interested in applying to become a resident in the 2022-2023 school year. This application form is due by January 7, 2022, but Arizona Teacher Residency staff encourage people to apply as soon as possible so that applicants can get a jump start on the multi-step application process.
“The sooner interested applicants submit this application, the sooner we can begin seriously considering them for a spot in our first cohort,” explained Theisen-Homer.
The application is available through azk12.org/AZTR.
The Arizona Teacher Residency will host a webinar for interested applicants on December 7 at 5:30 p.m. The webinar will include time for participants to ask questions and have them answered in real time. Individuals can sign up for the webinar at azk12.org/AZTR. For those who cannot make the webinar, it will be recorded and made available on the Arizona Teacher Residency website.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman with the Arizona Department of Education, Northern Arizona University President José Luis Cruz Rivera, and Arizona K12 Center Executive Director Dr. Kathy Wiebke, NBCT, announced the creation of the Arizona Teacher Residency on October 25.
The Arizona Teacher Residency is a two-year program that prepares recent college graduates from any degree program and mid-career switchers to be effective classroom teachers. The program begins with a two-week summer institute, followed by a year of in-school apprenticeship under a supervising teacher before they become the teacher-of-record in the program’s second year. Residents will complete graduate coursework throughout the two years and, upon completion, receive a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University. Along with this highly subsidized master’s degree, residents receive a living stipend during the residency year and receive a salary from the district during the year as the teacher-of-record. In exchange, residents commit to serving in partner districts for at least three years beyond their residency year. What will make this program unique will be the wrap-around professional learning opportunities offered by the Arizona K12 Center that residents will have access to throughout the program and upon graduation.
For more information, please contact Arizona Teacher Residency staff at [email protected] and sign up at azk12.org/aztr to receive alerts about Arizona Teacher Residency news and announcements, including upcoming job postings!
