Top Five Gratitudes For The California Teacher Residency Lab’s (Lab) Fall Semester

1. We are grateful for the tremendous courage shown by Lab members to pursue an equity-driven teacher preparation agenda in which you actively and unapologetically recruit, retain, and support educators of color. You can read more about The Lab’s Advancing Equity: Recruiting, Retaining, and Supporting Educators of Color Focus in our statement of strategic direction developed in conjunction with the Glen Price Group. Click here to learn more about the participating programs.
2. The Oakland Teacher Residency going above and beyond to ensure their residents have access to affordable housing in order to teach in the Oakland Unified School District. Read all about it in the November 17th Oaklandside article: New affordable housing program aims to help student teachers stay in Oakland.
3. Co-sponsoring The Learning Policy Institute’s webinar, Closing California’s Opportunity Gap: Ensuring All Students Have Access to Fully Prepared Teachers. It featured Fresno Unified School District’s Manager of Teacher Development, Jeanna Perry, and The Fresno Teacher Residency Program.
4. Support from great advocates, partners, technical assistance providers, and funders. Which includes, but is not limited to, Travis Bristol, The Center For Equity For English Learners, James Gallagher, National Center on Teacher Residencies, WestEd, California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, The Learning Policy Institute, S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation, Sobrato Family Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Silvergiving Foundation, and The Thompson Family Foundation. We could not do this work without all of you. Thank you!
5. We are grateful for the support of state leaders who work tirelessly to ensure California’s teacher shortage is eradicated. We would like to especially thank CTC Executive Director Mary Sandy and Dr. Marquita Grenot-Scheyer, CSU Assistant Vice Chancellor, Educator Preparation, and Public-School Programs. Their optimism for the future of schooling amid this challenging time is sorely needed right now. They understand that this moment gives us a chance to reinvent how we approach teacher training and instruction to ensure all students are learning and thriving. Also, they know that returning to normal is not an option; as the pandemic revealed, normal didn’t serve every student. You can hear more about their thoughts on equity-driven teacher preparation, anti-racism in education, teacher residency programs, our work by watching a recording of The Lab’s Spotlight Conversation: The Future of Teacher Preparation in California. One participant summed up their gratitude about this conversation in this way, “I appreciate that the leaders of this work — speaking and chatting and participating now — are centering race, power, access, and equity in virtually every question, answer, and wondering. THIS is how we change California.”

And finally,