We need durable solutions

Teacher residencies have the greatest potential in California if we start building them as context-tailored, core infrastructure — part of the durable foundation that sustains schools, preparation programs, and communities over time. This mindset shift makes everything else possible.

We position teacher residencies—or any innovative staffing model—as connective tissue rather than short-term projects. When designed this way, teacher residencies can create stable, diverse, and locally rooted educator workforces that improve student outcomes and teacher morale, reduce recruitment and turnover costs, and strengthen community trust and opportunities for districts and charter organizations. Simultaneously, they can increase enrollment for teacher preparation programs, while challenging those programs to respond to local needs. Plus, they can become the mechanism for piloting and implementing new pedagogies, innovations, and solutions. Sure, these models could and should leverage grant funds strategically to get started and grow, but they rely on shared institutional stewardship and good data, not grant funds, for sustainability.