Brochure-FINAL

APPENDIX J

NON-TECHNICAL BROCHURE

A Study of Teacher Residency Programs

Information Needed on Residency Programs as an Approach to Teacher Training	In recent years, Teacher Residency Programs (TRPs) have garnered the support of districts across the nation as a promising strategy to address teaching shortages in high-needs areas and to adequately prepare teachers for challenging educational environments. The TRP model combines elements from different models of teacher preparation. As with alternative routes to teaching, TRPs give candidates a “fast track” to the classroom without having to complete an undergraduate major in education. Like traditional routes, TRPs involve a significant academic component at a higher education institution, usually resulting in a master’s degree. TRPs are unique in requiring teacher candidates to participate in a yearlong “clinical” experience shadowing and co-teaching with an experienced mentor, an experience that is designed to be more intensive than the student teaching component of a traditional teacher training route. Many TRPs also provide continued support and mentoring after their participants become teachers of record, similar to what is provided in teacher induction programs. While preliminary research has indicated that TRPs may be a way to increase student achievement and reduce teacher turnover, there is a need to examine these programs in greater detail. By participating in this proposed study, TRPs, districts and schools would provide answers to important questions about training teachers who will serve effectively in high-need schools.
Research Questions and Objectives	The U.S. Department of Education has selected Mathematica Policy Research and its partner, Decision Information Resources, to conduct a study of TRPs. The study’s primary research questions are: What are the characteristics of TRPs? What are the characteristics of participants in TRPs? What is the average performance of novice TRP teachers as measured by value-added benchmarked against novice and all teachers in the district? What are the retention rates of novice TRP teachers and their novice colleagues who did not go through TRPs?
Study Requirements and Activities	The study team is seeking TRPs, districts, and schools to participate in various components of the study. Approximately 35 TRPs will participate in a survey. A subset of approximately 15 TRPs will participate in interviews and be asked to provide information on their applicants and participants. A further subset of approximately 8 TRPs, plus their partner districts, will be needed for study of teacher retention and student achievement outcomes. Data will be collected through a variety of methods. Student administrative records. In summer/fall 2012 and 2013, districts will be asked to provide demographic and achievement data on all students in tested grades and subjects. Teacher administrative records. Districts in the outcomes study also will be asked to provide data on teaching assignments of TRP and non-TRP teachers who are novices in the 2011-2012 school year, to track the mobility of study teachers. In fall 2012 and 2013, districts will be asked to verify whether the selected teachers are still employed in the district.
Study Requirements and Activities (continued)	Teacher surveys. For the subset of 15 TRPs, all teachers doing their residency during the 2010-2011 school year, and all of their mentors, will be asked to complete a short survey toward the end of the school year. In addition, TRP and non-TRP teachers participating in the outcomes study will be asked to complete a short survey in spring 2012. The surveys will collect information on teachers’ backgrounds and experiences during these school years, whether in the program or as teachers of record. The TRP and non-TRP teachers in the outcomes study will also complete a mobility survey in fall 2012 and again in fall 2013. This questionnaire will ask about current employment status and reasons for job change, if applicable. TRP survey and interviews. The full set of 35 TRPs will be asked to complete a short survey in spring 2011 about program size and characteristics. The directors of the subset of 15 TRPs will also be asked to participate in an interview to provide additional details on program operations not as easily collected through a survey. The study involves no curriculum changes or classroom observations, and no student surveys. Participation requires no district or school expenditures and entails very little burden.
The Study Team	Mathematica Policy Research, a nonpartisan policy research firm, conducts research and surveys for federal and state governments, foundations, and private sector clients. The employee-owned company has conducted some of the most important evaluations of education, nutrition, welfare, employment, and early childhood policies and programs in the United States. Mathematica strives to improve public well-being by bringing the highest standards of quality, objectivity, and excellence to bear on the provision of information collection and analysis to its clients. Mathematica has offices in California, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Washington, DC. See www.mathematica-mpr.com. Decision Information Resources (DIR), provides research, evaluation, and technical assistance services to government, private, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and educational institutions. DIR has multilingual capabilities and offers unique perspectives and sensitivities that are invaluable when working with diverse groups and populations. Their mission is to help clients make action-oriented decisions that result in improved performance and efficiency of programs, processes, and procedures. DIR is located in Houston, TX. See www.dir-online.com.
Use of Study Data	Per the policies and procedures required by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183, responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes. The reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district or individual. We will not provide information that identifies you or your district to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law. Any willful disclosure of such information for nonstatistical purposes, without the informed consent of the respondent, is a class E felony.
To Find Out More	Contact Mathematica’s project director, Phil Gleason, by phone at (315) 781-8495 or by email at [email protected].