Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Boston Teacher Residents

Why is BTR needed?

Within three years of starting to teach, more than half of new Boston teachers leave the district. The turnover rate is similar in many districts, especially urban districts. At the same time, the demand for teachers in Boston is increasing. According to a December 2001 study by The Harvard Children's Initiative, more than half of Boston's 5,000 teachers will be eligible to retire in the next several years. The study further predicts that the impact of rising enrollment and smaller class sizes will be "staggering: within five years, nearly 60% of Boston teachers will be new to the classroom."

In August 2003, the time was right to initiate a teacher preparation and certification program that readies new teachers for the specific work expected of them in Boston's schools and supports them through the first critical years.

How is BTR different from other certification programs?

BTR is a full-year program, based on the medical residency model. After an initial month of coursework and training, Teacher Residents spend a school year in one of Boston's most effective schools, working with a Mentor Teacher and his/her students. They learn every day with their Mentor Teacher and other effective teachers and administrators in their building. They also study in courses led by some of Boston's best practitioners and professors. Through this combination, they understand, observe, and adopt the practices they need to be effective Boston teachers.

Many alternative certification programs provide a shorter training session, some as little as six-eight weeks, and then give teacher-candidates sole responsibility for a classroom. Even with support, their on-the-job training often comes at the expense of their students. Being an effective urban teacher is an especially difficult job, and too many new teachers come ill prepared — and leave quickly.

Who will BTR recruit?

BTR recruits top-notch candidates from all walks of life, from recent college graduates to mid-career transfers. The program is looking for people who know and are committed to Boston, love kids, have strong academic backgrounds, and see teaching in Boston's public schools as a means to ensure the city's well being for many years to come. BTR hopes to attract a diverse cohort of candidates from three different segments:

• recent college graduates with a strong commitment to teaching as a long-term profession
• career changers who come to teaching mid-life with a desire to transfer their knowledge and experience into the classroom
• community workers and leaders who have a tie to the city and the experience and passion for working with Boston's children

Who teaches the seminars and summer components?

BTR taps the expertise of some of those who best know how to be an effective teacher in Boston: effective teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators in the district. Some coursework is also taught by university faculty and community leaders.

What impact will BTR have on host schools?

Teaching is one of the few professions with little career progression. The first day of teaching often involves the same responsibilities as the day a teacher retires. The opportunities for career advancement, job enrichment, and regular adult interaction are rare. BTR offers experienced teachers the opportunity to serve as Mentor Teachers, Site Directors, and course instructors and to be part of professional networks in which they can continue to build their expertise and skills.

How does this fit with the district's reform initiatives?

Boston's focus is simple and clear: to improve instruction in every classroom to improve student performance. Across the district, teachers are beginning to use specific instructional strategies and to participate in school-based professional development in literacy and math.

BTR meets the district's critical need to recruit, prepare, and retain teachers who are both skilled in the district's instructional approaches and eager to be part of a collaborative professional culture. BTR also complements a second new initiative, Boston Principal Fellows, which prepares aspiring principals for work in the city's public schools.

How did BTR come about?

Strategic Grant Partners, a recently formed coalition of 12 family foundations in Boston, seeks to support programs that deliver positive and lasting change in education for Boston. While Superintendent Thomas Payzant had long recognized the need to rethink radically how incoming teachers are trained, the district lacked the resources to develop an alternative. Partnering with the district and the Boston Plan for Excellence, Strategic Grant Partners championed further work on the idea and agreed to fund BTR through its first years of operation.

Why is the program modeled after medical residencies?

It would be unthinkable to allow a doctor to diagnose, treat, or operate on a patient without extensive on-the-job training, working in hospitals with experienced physicians.

Molding young minds is just as important as medical treatment. We cannot assume that new teachers can walk into a classroom of 25 students with the ability to prepare daily lessons from a curriculum, manage a class of students, and motivate and engage students in learning. These skills are best learned through observation, collaboration, and conversation with experienced teachers grounded in the real world of a classroom. That's the medical residency model applied to a teacher preparation program.

Click here to download a summary of a typical elementary school Resident's weekly schedule.

Click here to download a summary of a typical middle school/high school Resident's weekly schedule.

Click here to download profiles of BTR graduates.