What We Know Now: Urban Teacher Residency Models, Teacher Shortages, and Equity

The teacher shortage currently plaguing the United States is exacerbated in the urban context. One particular model being adopted in urban school districts to address the teacher shortage and issues of educational equity is the urban teacher residency (UTR) model. The UTR model employs a collaboration between institutions of higher education (IHEs) and local education agencies (LEAs) to recruit, train, and retain high-quality teachers in high-needs urban schools. This synthesis of the literature highlights themes regarding known best practices in teacher residencies, particularly in the urban context, and also aims to highlight the UTR as a context-specific way to train new teachers. I discuss the implications of cultural mismatching between teachers and their students, and highlight components and critiques of the UTR model. Finally, I discuss the implications of these best practices for policy, practice, and future research.