NCTR Awards $3.7 Million In Grants To 27 Residencies To Support Recruitment, Preparation, And Retention Of Black Educators

The National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) is awarding $3.7 million in grants to 27 of its teacher residency partners as part of NCTR’s Black Educators Initiative (BEI). NCTR’s BEI supports the recruitment, preparation, and retention of Black educators throughout the nation, with the ultimate goal of improving student outcomes. Launched in 2019, BEI is a five-year, $20-million grant funded initiative to recruit, develop, and retain 750 new Black teachers through NCTR’s national Network of teacher residency partners. Since the inception of the grant, BEI has supported 718 Black residents.

For 2022-2023, seven new teacher residency partners are receiving grant funding (marked with an asterisk), as the initiative enters into its fourth year of its five-year grant:

– Alternative Pathways to Educator Certification Center at Columbia College.

– AppleTree Early Learning Teacher Residency.

– Black Educator Teacher Residency at CSU Bakersfield.*

– Boston Teacher Residency.

– Carey Teacher Residency (William Carey University).

– Chicago Public Schools.

– Clarkson University.

– Collaborative Residency for Achievement and Equity (CREATE 65).*

– Connecticut Teacher Residency Program.

– CREATE Teacher Residency.

– East Harlem Teaching Residency.

– Jacksonville Teacher Residency.

– Kansas City Teacher Residency.

– LAUSD/UCLA/USC Residency Program Collaborative.*

– Memphis Teacher Residency.

– Nashville Teacher Residency.

– Norman Francis Teacher Residency.*

– Oakland Teacher Residency.

– Old Dominion University Teacher in Residency Program.

– PEBC Teacher Residency.*

– Philadelphia Teacher Residency (Drexel-BLCS Residency).

– Project Inspire.

– Richmond Teacher Residency (RTR, Virginia Commonwealth University).

– Seattle Teacher Residency.*

– South Cook Teacher Residency* (Roosevelt University).

– St. Louis Teacher Residency.

– University of St. Thomas/Saint Paul Urban Teacher Residency/Minneapolis Special Education Teacher Residency.

“We are always excited to continue the important work of the Black Educators Initiative to recruit, prepare, and retain Black teacher residents with our residency partners, and we are especially excited to help fund seven new residencies this year to grow our BEI impact,” said NCTR Chief Executive Officer, Kathlene Holmes Campbell.

“In its fourth year, BEI continues to address a national exigency to help ensure that students of color and low-income students have equitable access to Black educators who are effective, culturally responsive, and ready to teach from day one.”

“Early research shows that BEI residencies are successful at attracting and retaining Black teacher residents. It’s an honor to support our residency partners as they foster the development of Black teacher residents nationwide and work to achieve optimal educational outcomes for students,” said Director of BEI Keilani Goggins.

Thus far, investments in Black residents through the BEI have resulted in:

– Reducing barriers for aspiring Black educators to enter and remain in the profession.

– Supporting recruitment pipelines that reflect the communities of color predominately served in Title I schools.

– Supporting mentor teachers to provide rigorous clinical preparation and coaching.

– Supporting programs to redesign and implement research-based practices that improve the recruitment, selection, preparation, and support experiences of Black educators.

BEI is made possible by a grant from Ballmer Group. Read about the impact and growth of BEI by downloading NCTR’s BEI Annual Report (PDF), or read the BEI evaluation and promising strategies report, titled “Recruitment and Retention of Black Educators” (PDF), that was developed and conducted by the Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL) at Columbia University.