The Texas Education Agency featured the Socorro Independent School District for its highly successful teacher residency program that has shown impressive results with developing highly qualified teacher candidates and filling substitute teacher needs.
The SISD teacher residency program, implemented in partnership with the University of Texas at El Paso, was showcased as an innovative strategic staffing model during TEA Commissioner Mike Morath’s October monthly meeting with superintendents from across Texas.
“You are doing really thoughtful work here to help improve the quality of your approach to recruiting and teachers that are well prepared and ready to work for the long haul,” Morath said to Socorro ISD superintendent Nate Carman, Ed.D. during the phone call.
Dr. Carman, SISD chief academic officer Lucia Borrego and SISD school improvement officer Jina Eksaengsri explained the logistics and success of the model program that has enabled Socorro ISD to introduce high-quality, prepared teachers into the teacher pool and have access to high-quality substitute teachers.
In the program, teacher residents are paired with mentor teachers and work with them three days a week in the classroom with students. One day a week, the residents spend time at UTEP for their instruction at the university. Then, on Fridays, the residents substitute in Socorro ISD where they get real-life practice with classroom management and instruction.
The yearlong, paid residency gives the teacher residents hands-on experience with strong support systems and an opportunity to be on their own in a classroom.
“There are several benefits to the model. Not just with the mentor teacher and the instruction the residents receive but that substitute data is an important component of this program,” Dr. Carman said.
He emphasized that the model is an excellent way to solve the fill-rate challenge that many districts are facing when it comes to finding high-qualified substitutes. It also gives them an entire year of experience as a teacher and gives them meaningful experiences to help them decide which course to take as they embark on their teaching careers.
“We have teacher candidates who may come in thinking they want to be a kindergarten teacher or a second-grade teacher or whatever the case may be,” Dr. Carman said. “As they substitute in varying grade levels, either they find a love for a different grade level, or it reinforces their initial thought that they want to stay in that particular grade level.”
Investing in the residents to get comprehensive training and to assist as substitute teachers, also helps the district and school staff to not have to step in when substitutes are hard to find.
“Not only are you getting great teachers out of these residents and you’re filling these substitute roles, but you are probably having this freeing effect on the overall quality of leadership on those campuses because you don’t have to have all this staff redirects,” Morath said.
Dr. Carman agreed, noting that although the substitute challenge still exists, the teacher residency program has helped tremendously, explaining that the Friday fill rates are higher at resident campuses than non-resident campuses in the district.
Another component that has made the teacher residency so powerful is the strong partnership that Socorro ISD has with UTEP, Borrego said. In some cases, principals have been faced with substitute shortages and have asked if they would be allowed to hire the teacher residents as substitutes on days other than Fridays for the classrooms that they are working in with their mentor teachers.
UTEP’s Department of Education has been flexible and accommodating and their teacher instruction program allows for such accommodations to be made to the schedules, she said.
“It allows that resident to grow tremendously because we all know it’s one thing to be the co-pilot and it’s a whole different story when you are the actual pilot,” Borrego said about allowing the residents to be on their own in the classroom more than one day a week. “It allows us to give the residents more hands-on experience.”
Socorro ISD continues to expand the number of residents in the program as the district, school and university staff refines and improves the program. Dr. Carman and Borrego advised other districts to start the program as a pilot program so that is manageable as they begin, making sure district leadership is on board, being selective with choosing effective mentor teachers, and cultivating a strong relationship with the partnering university.
Learn more about the Socorro ISD-UTEP Teacher Residency program
TEA to showcase SISD-UTEP Teacher Residency program as statewide model program
Watch Effective Schools Framework Leadership Highlights – Socorro ISD and UTEP video
Published November 9, 2022
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