STEPHENVILLE — The Tarleton State University College of Education has launched a one-year residency for undergraduate teacher candidates in collaboration with two local school districts and University-School Partnerships for the Renewal of Education Preparation (US PREP).
Following a model promoted by US PREP and other national organizations, the residency is designed to provide a clinically robust, immersive experience to boost candidates’ readiness to be first-year teachers.
As part of the three-year, $300,000 grant-funded program, Tarleton teacher residents will be placed at elementary schools in the Granbury and Huckabay ISDs.
“Through strategic partnerships and stakeholder support, we will transform teacher preparation, ensuring our residents are classroom ready on day one upon graduation,” said Dr. Julie Howell, director of Educator Preparation Services. “We pride ourselves on producing teachers who every student deserves!”
Tarleton residents will work alongside a cooperating teacher and will have the support of a site coordinator who will link the district and the university.
Benefits to the Tarleton students include the opportunity for extended, hands-on practice; part-time work in partner districts; and priority consideration for full-time employment. District partners gain the advantage of “growing their own” and the opportunity to hire first-year teachers who have been mentored during a year of apprenticeship.
Both Tarleton and district partners benefit from extensive communication, collaboration and data sharing embedded in the residency model.
The US PREP National Center provides on-the-ground support and services to a coalition of university-based teacher preparation programs. The coalition comprises 21 school-university partners with a common mission of attracting, training and retaining high-quality, racially diverse teachers for underserved communities nationwide.
Tarleton State University is part of a Texas A&M University System statewide campaign that encourages teaching as a career. A&M System’s 11 universities produce more fully certified teachers than other university system in Texas.
The campaign, “We Teach Texas,” affirms the role of teachers and notes that “every success story starts in a classroom.”
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