Education Commons^™

Co-Designing Teacher Residencies: Sharing Leadership, Finding New Opportunities, Matt Miller, Steph Strachan

Prepared to Teach

This report focuses on how a group of university teacher educators at Western Washington University’s Elementary Education program and district administrators at Ferndale School District reconsidered their approach to teacher preparation. Instead of viewing preparation as primarily the University’s responsibility, the partnership placed the needs of P-12 students and the district at the forefront of considerations, while also honoring a parallel goal enhancing the preparation experience.

The report describes the successful outcomes of the work, including revisions to the residency like work opportunities, a revised placement process, a district “on-boarding” process, and responsive professional development throughout the residency. Finally, you …