Moving Toward a Yearlong Residency: Voices from the Field

Abstract Book of the 8th World Conference on Teaching and Education

Year: 2025

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Moving Toward a Yearlong Residency: Voices from the Field

J. Elizabeth Casey and Jill Killough

ABSTRACT:

In the United States, there has been a move toward having preservice teachers move through a yearlong residency experience, rather than a traditional, semester-long clinical teaching or student teaching model. Partnering with school districts and working in a collaborative fashion, districts and universities work with other stakeholders to build strategic staffing models that allow preservice teacher candidates to have a paid residency experience. This allows them to work through a year-long residency with pay, while honing essential pedagogical skills under the mentorship of a host teacher. At the same time, the residents support the district’s needs with various activities such as substituting once a week, managing a classroom while their host teacher supports new district teachers, etc. Each activity is designed to support the needs of a district, while building capacity for a preservice teacher during a residency year. A mid-sized university in southeast Texas completed a pilot year with excellent feedback and results from residency candidates. All eight residents successfully completed the program and are currently working as professional educators in the state. During the 2024-2025 academic year, nineteen residents entered the program in fall or spring to begin their residency experience. Initial survey results and mid-semester interviews are positive, and there is unanimous agreement that this experience exceeds expectations. Some states in the United States have already mandated that a year-long residency during a bachelor’s program is the only way to obtain certification. Residency programs may be mandated by more states, and this is beneficial for preservice teachers, schools, and K-12 students. Although residencies are quite new, initial data points towards improved outcomes for teachers and the students they serve.

Keywords: residency, teacher education, preservice teacher