Program Overview

Introduction to the Chicago Teacher Residency Program

The College of Education at DePaul University, in partnership with the Academy for Urban School Leadership and Chicago Public Schools (CPS), has expanded its Chicago Teacher Residency program thanks to a $4.9 million Teacher Quality Partnership grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Program Overview

The five-year initiative emphasizes diversity and aims to annually place 100 career changers, via accelerated master's programs, in hard-to-fill positions in high-needs CPS schools. The accelerated residency program's intensive clinical component is paired with DePaul's coursework.

Program Structure

• The program matches participants with a mentor and co-teacher in a classroom for a full academic year.
• This structure may inform the College of Education's broader approach to teacher training.

Research and Evaluation

• The program aims to investigate differences in learning or performance between the fast-track model and the traditional four-year model.
• Researchers seek to identify elements of success that can be implemented to improve retention after three years, when teachers often experience burnout.

Program Goals and Objectives

• The primary goal is to place 100 career changers in hard-to-fill positions in high-needs CPS schools each year.
• The program focuses on diversity and aims to improve teacher retention in high-needs schools.

Expected Outcomes

• Improved teacher retention in high-needs schools.
• Enhanced learning outcomes for students in CPS schools.
• Informing the College of Education's approach to teacher training with data from the accelerated residency program.