TEACHERSHomegrown

Nation’s First State-Run Teacher Residency Tackles Teacher Shortage

available by the federal government

An alternate-route teaching program seeks to recruit and train individuals interested in the field of education and connects them with employment in a high-need school district — all while earning a master’s degree at no cost

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) launched the Mississippi Teacher Residency (MTR) program with the help of American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding made

With approval from the Mississippi Board of Education, MDE awarded over $9 8 million in grant dollars to five universities across the state, all in an effort to increase access to effective elementary and special education teachers

Now accepting applications for its fifth cohort, MTR provides a well-structured pathway for professionals with a non-education bachelor’s degree to transition into the classroom as fully licensed teachers

“Some of the key elements of MTR include partnerships between geographical critical shortage area school districts and eligible institutions of higher education that do indeed share a vision of effective teaching and practice,” said Dr Courtney Van Cleve, MDE’s state director of educator talent acquisition and effectiveness

“Within that, we recruit diverse participants such as people of color, men, veterans from the Armed Forces and teacher assistants who then participate in yearlong pre-service clinical training alongside an experienced, effective mentor teacher with integrated coursework resulting in certification and a master’s degree,” Van Cleve said

Rickayla McDonald recently graduated from the MTR program at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and has worked for several years as a teacher assistant at Kreole Primary Elementary in the Moss Point School District Now, with a master’s degree and educator credentials in hand, she looks forward to transitioning into the role of teacher, a dream made possible by the MTR

“Becoming a teacher has always been my dream,” she said “In 11th grade I was in the Teacher Academy program I met a student during my very first internship who did not know how to write his name He couldn’t spell or write it, but by the end of my Teacher Academy internship, I had helped is my calling I don’t want any other profession but to teach ”

Though she majored in education for her bachelor’s degree, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted her academic journey Struggles with the Praxis exam led McDonald to graduate with a non-teaching degree, but her persistence in becoming a teacher remained him learn how to write his name That sparked my interest, and I realized this

“I decided to just step my foot in the door and be a teacher assistant to see if I could get an emergency license or anything,” she said “Then this program came about, and it was like a blessing in disguise� I was already a teacher assistant for a school district that participated in MTR, so everything aligned perfectly, and I was able to get my master’s degree while being mentored in the school I already worked in ”

The MTR program provides a pathway for teacher assistants like McDonald to work toward a master’s degree and licensure as a teacher in Mississippi� The growth of MTR programs proves the investment is yielding positive returns

USM began placing its first MTR residents last school year, with eight residents across five school districts This upcoming year, USM’s College of Education and Human Sciences will place 32 residents and have expanded the number of participating districts

While each participating institution of higher learning manages its own educator preparation for MTR, USM has taken a unique direction by structuring its program to include both elementary and special education Ac- cording to Andrea Krell, USM’s director of teacher residency, this combined approach trains more well-rounded and confident teachers

“The actual degree program that our residents are working on is a Master of Art in Teaching (MAT) in Inclusive Elementary Education,” Krell said “Some of the MTR programs are having residents choose between an MAT in Elementary Education or an MAT in Special Education, but we have integrated both of those so that our students leave with both licenses Because of that, we provide our residents with a mentor on both the elementary education and special education side We prefer that residents are able to focus on having a true residency experience in the classroom with their mentors ”

Having veteran teachers mentor residents has been beneficial, with many mentors commenting that they wished this type of experience was available to them during their time in an educator preparation program� Krell said the MTR program is developing more capable, confident teachers to meet the needs of critical shortage areas

“Many of our MTR graduates are planning on entering the general education classroom, but they have spoken very highly about the integrated approach with special education,” Krell said “They all have said they feel much more competent about working with students who have special needs in their general education classrooms ”

The MTR program is undoubtedly helping fill teaching positions in critical-need districts with highly qualified educators The program has done so well that Mississippi has been turning heads on a national stage MDE has received MTR-related media inquiries from outlets such as National Public Radio, The Washington Post, Education Week and the Council for Chief State School Officers, all within the last few months Van Cleve said that regardless of accolades or acclaim, the MTR program is positively impacting Mississippi students

“Even as we want to highlight some of our celebratory milestones at a high level, we never want to lose sight of the fact that this program is indeed having an individual impact on our teachers and students,” Van Cleve said “Given that this is only within just one year of an ESSER-funded program, we are intending as a next step to pursue future financial sustainability pathways beyond ESSER for the continuation of this work ”