WCU has received a $600,000 grant to administer the Miss. Teacher Residency Program. Our Tradition campus will partner with 12 Gulf Coast education majors and the Ocean Springs and Gulfport school districts on the project.
This fall, the Mississippi Department of Education will launch a pilot program aimed at changing the way new teachers are prepared for a career in the classroom.
Dr. Ben Burnett of William Carey University’s School of Education said the goal of the three-year Mississippi Teacher Residency Program is to make new classroom teachers “effective on day one.”
“People don’t go into teaching because it’s easy. Think about your favorite teachers. They knew how to explain new concepts in a way that made you want to know more. They knew how to maintain order and create a learning environment free of distraction,” Burnett said.
“New teachers sharpen their skills by spending more time working with students. As they begin their careers, they reach out to older, more experienced teachers for feedback and guidance. Becoming a seasoned and effective teacher takes time.
“But what if brand-new teachers could start out with more classroom experience? What if they had already worked extensively with mentor teachers?”
The Mississippi Teacher Residency Program seeks to answer both needs.
How it worksThe teacher residency program is a partnership among a university, one or more school systems and a select group of education majors entering their junior year of college.
The future teachers are assigned to an elementary school. There they complete the requirements for a bachelor’s degree – dividing their time between working in classrooms with elementary students and taking required courses from the university partner. The university also provides experienced mentor teachers to answer questions, demonstrate techniques and give the next generation of classroom teachers a head start.
In June, the Mississippi Department of Education announced $600,000 grants to three universities to administer teacher residency programs:
- William Carey University, working with Ocean Springs and Gulfport public school districts;
- Mississippi State University, working with Jackson Public School District; and
- Delta State University, working with the Sunflower County Consolidated School District.
The funding comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in response to a grant request written by Cortez Moss, the Mississippi Department of Education’s director of educator talent acquisition and effectiveness. The foundation also awarded a grant to the National Center for Teacher Residencies, which has helped launch 35 teacher residency programs in 18 states since its founding in 2007.
“We have teacher shortage, retention and diversity issues across the state. I had been speaking with the National Center for Teacher Residencies before we ever applied to the Kellogg Foundation because we knew we needed a research-driven approach to addressing these challenges,” Moss said.
“As a learning model, a teacher residency is much like a medical school residency. The student is learning while also practicing in a real-world environment.”
The college students taking part in the teacher residency program were chosen in the spring. Participating universities will welcome 12 new students each year of the three-year grant. Students chosen for the program will receive full tuition scholarships. And at the end of the process, 108 brand-new teachers will receive job offers from the public school districts where they practiced.
What’s next?The first group of education majors chosen for the Mississippi Teacher Residency Program gathered June 28-29 in Jackson with state-level MDE officials and representatives from William Carey, Mississippi State and Delta State.
Dr. Lori Windham is the WCU School of Education’s undergraduate program coordinator at the Tradition campus. She met with William Carey’s newest students on June 29. With its proximity to Gulfport and Ocean Springs, the Tradition campus will be administering the program for William Carey.
Windham: “It was a pleasure to meet this group of talented, committed students. We’re excited to be a part of the Mississippi Teacher Residency Program and to help prepare them to teach in diverse classrooms in our state.”
Dr. Burnett, dean of the WCU School of Education, said he feels fortunate to partner with the Ocean Springs and Gulfport school districts.
“We’ve worked with both school districts on initiatives to address the teacher shortage and help retain quality classroom teachers,” Burnett said.
“In addition, Dr. Bonita Coleman, the Ocean Springs school superintendent is an adjunct instructor for William Carey – as are both assistant superintendents from the Ocean Springs and Gulfport school districts. These are old friends and colleagues and we look forward to getting started on this new project.”
And to the 12 new education majors chosen for WCU’s Teacher Residency Program, welcome to the Carey family:
- Katelyn Babischkin of D’Iberville
- Katelin Black of Gulfport
- Rachel Brown of Hurley
- Molly Ferguson of Gulfport
- Abby Fisher of Pass Christian
- Samantha Guyton of Hurley
- Kimberlee Kelley of McHenry
- Caitlin Love of Ocean Springs
- Priscilla Rocha of Vancleave
- Ashlee Slocum of Vancleave
- Janet Spears of Moss Point
- Ashea Wells of Biloxi