DECEMBER 2023
PG. 18
THE GOVERNOR’S EDUCATOR RETENTION TASK FORCE
Research and Analysis
Student loan forgiveness has been found to be particularly effective in recruiting teachers of color. This may be because low-
income students and students of color are more likely to be enrolled in remedial courses, prolonging the time to graduation
and therefore increasing the cost of their education. Educators of color, particularly Black educators, are more likely to utilize
student loans to pay for college, causing them to carry more debt. Therefore, students of color or low-income students who
often lack generational wealth take on additional risks when attending college, likely leading them to pursue more financially
lucrative careers.
Arizona currently offers teacher loan forgiveness to students at public universities through the Arizona Teacher Academy.
Students attending private colleges can apply for the Arizona Teacher Student Loan Program, which also offers loan funding
for every year the student agrees to teach in an Arizona public school.
GROW YOUR OWN PROGRAMS
Grow Your Own (GYO) programs are a model of educator preparation that involve recruiting prospective educators from the
local community, such as non-education college graduates, paraprofessionals, community activists, and other key community
stakeholders, or by creating a pathway for middle and high school students to enter the education workforce. These
programs focus on returning educators to their local communities and therefore look different depending on local contexts.
GYO programs are often cited as a strategy to improve educator diversity. Additional research suggests GYO programs also
promote teacher retention over time.
Residencies and Apprenticeships
A form of GYO, teacher residencies provide teaching candidates with the opportunity to work alongside a mentor teacher for
at least one year before becoming the teacher of record, while teacher apprenticeships
combine coursework and on the job
experience to reduce the cost of earning a teaching degree while providing candidates with crucial time in the classroom
during their preparation.
Each teacher residency program is unique; however, high quality programs often have common characteristics such as:
• Strong local partnerships with universities and EPP programs,
• One year of clinical practice teaching with an expert mentor,
• Ongoing support and mentoring for program graduates,
• Financial support for residents in exchange for a time-based teaching commitment, and
• Recruitment of high-quality candidates for targeted district needs
Teacher residency programs often attract more diverse candidates. In 2022-2023, 69 percent
of National Center for Teacher
Residencies (NCTR) residents identified as people of color, compared to 21 percent of new teachers nationally. Residents are
also more likely to support high-need schools or subject areas, such as mathematics, science, students with special needs, or
English Language Learners. Despite teaching in schools with higher attrition rates on average, graduates of teacher residency
programs demonstrate higher levels of retention, between 80 to 90 percent within the first three years and 70 to 80 percent
after five years.
In January 2022, Tennessee launched the Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship and became the first state to establish a
teacher apprenticeship program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor. Being recognized as a Registered Apprenticeship
Program with the Department of Labor opens the Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship to federal funding opportunities,
allowing the program to leverage both state and federal dollars to create a sustainable funding stream.
Arizona currently offers classroom-based preparation programs and the Arizona Teacher Residency as a way for communities
to grow their own teachers. By partnering with higher education institutions, schools can hire a teacher full time while they
complete their residency requirements and work towards certification and a master’s degree. Other classroom-based
preparation programs allow candidates to teach with a supervising teacher while they complete the requirements for
certification as a pathway to becoming a teacher of record.
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
School leaders play a critical role in ensuring the success of students, teachers, and the entire school community. Their
responsibilities include setting the school’s vision and goals, creating a positive school culture, and managing resources