Elementary School Districts Chosen for the Arizona Teacher Residency Program

A month after Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman and others announced the creation of the first residency program for teachers, three elementary school districts have been chosen to inaugurate this great opportunity for new instructors.

These districts are Osborn, Roosevelt Elementary, and Tempe Elementary.

All three are in Maricopa County.

The aspiring teachers chosen for this program will “recruit interested college graduates (up to 30 for the first year in 2022) of any degree into the teacher residency program by placing them into a year-long instructor apprenticeship after a two-week summer orientation program. During this apprenticeship, they would receive a $15,000 stipend, qualify for access to health insurance, have a veteran teacher (who will also receive a supervisor stipend and mentor training) serve as a mentor, and work towards a master’s degree (through the Arizona K-12 Learning Center at Northern Arizona University) in elementary education. Secondary school degrees would come later.  After the first year of the residency, the new instructor is placed in a full-time position in a school district as the teacher of record for the second year of the program and paid a salary.”

In a press release from the Arizona Department of Education, Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman commented:

“This Arizona-centric program, funded by federal relief and recovery dollars, will be tailored to meet the needs of the unique communities it serves so that teachers who graduate from it will be prepared to meet the needs of students in those communities. Arizona must continue to elevate and respect the teaching profession if we are to recruit and retain educators in the long-term. I am so thankful for our partners at the Arizona K12 Center in sharing that vision.”

In the press release, representatives of the three chosen districts also offered their perspective on the residency program.

Ylenia Aguilar, president of the Osborn School Board, stated:

“The Arizona Teacher Residency will broaden the pool of individuals entering the teaching profession. We are looking forward to a diverse workforce and highly effective and prepared teachers who will have a full year of experience before they take on teaching. We know this will translate to teacher retention and student achievement.”

Superintendent of Roosevelt School District Dr. Quintin Boyce relayed:

“We look forward to strengthening the pipeline of high-quality educators to ensure quality learning experiences for our students, families and community. This program will not only benefit our students but will also help prepare and support our future teachers in Arizona.”

Superintendent of Tempe Elementary School District Dr. James Driscoll offered:

“The Arizona Teacher Residency program is a gamechanger. The program is a collective effort grounded in research and evidence-based strategies to help address underrepresentation of teachers of color pursuing and committing to the profession of education. The students, teachers, staff, and community of Tempe Elementary School District are ready to advance excellence in the education profession.”

Dr. Victoria Theisen-Homer, the director of the Arizona Teacher Residency through the Arizona K12 Center at Northern Arizona University, commented:

“We at the Arizona K12 Center are thrilled to start with these excellent partnerships,” she said. “As we expand the Arizona Teacher Residency in the coming years, we will add additional school district partners as well.”

Interested aspiring teachers can click here to get information about the residency program and apply.

Theisen-Homer relayed:

“The sooner interested applicants submit this application, the sooner we can begin seriously considering them for a spot in our first cohort.”

Per the Arizona Department of Education press release:

“The Arizona Teacher Residency will host a webinar for interested applicants on December 7 at 5:30 p.m. The webinar will include time for participants to ask questions and have them answered in real time. Individuals can sign up for the webinar at azk12.org/AZTR. For those who cannot make the webinar, it will be recorded and made available on the Arizona Teacher Residency website.”

 

MORE GREAT NEWS.

Congratulations to Superintendent Kathy Hoffman and her husband on the birth of their first child, Clara. We hope the Hoffman Family has a wonderful first holiday season together.

And now we’re a family of three! This week, we welcomed Clara Emlyn Hoffman to the world. We are all healthy and so happy to be starting this amazing new chapter.

— Kathy Hoffman (@kathyhoffman_az) November 18, 2021