Frequently Asked Questions

A residency program typically refers to a rigorous, yearlong clinical teaching experience offered by an educator preparation program (EPP). EPPs may place yearlong residents at districts without a strategic staffing program, but these residents may be unpaid and do not traditionally fulfill additional responsibilities or instructional needs at the district. Texas Strategic Staffing is a two-year technical assistance service that supports a district and EPP partnership to design a sustainable, paid residency program at the district. Texas Strategic Staffing helps both new and existing district-EPP partnerships implement the strategic staffing models that amplify the impact of residents, increase equitable access to residency through stipends, and ensure the residency program is sustainable.

The standard timeline for Texas Strategic Staffing begins in the early fall and includes a year of design where the district and educator preparation program (EPP) collaborate to design all aspects of the paid residency. In the second year, the TA provider supports all aspects of the residency implementation, such as data collection, site visits, and quarterly governance meetings with the EPP. Texas Strategic Staffing works closely with partners to determine the timeline that makes the most sense for their district. In some cases, they may truncate the timeline in order to place residents sooner or adjust the timeline when partners already have some aspects of strategic staffing and paid residency in place.

In addition to providing equitable access to quality preparation and helping fulfill instructional needs at the district, paid residency benefits a variety of stakeholders. Beyond the stipend, residents benefit by integrating employees of the district and gaining a year of Teacher Retirement System (TRS credit), all while receiving rigorous, high-quality preparation for the classroom that ensures “Day One” readiness for teaching. Their host teacher experiences the experience and benefits of coaching and mentoring, along with valuable leadership experience (and frequently, a stipend for their work). Ultimately, students benefit as research shows that teachers going through a residency program are both more likely to stay with their district and in the profession as well as achieve strong student growth results.

Yes! Our technical assistance providers are trained to work in a variety of district contexts, including districts that have historically placed teacher residents. 

During the Design Year, the district and EPP will work together to ensure that the residency is paid and uses sustainable district funds, along with either creating or improving upon current systems for paid residency, such as additional responsibility parameters, communication guides, and training and support plans.

TSS facilitates collaboration between the district and EPP for training and support of residents, host teachers, and school leaders during the design process. To do this, our technical assistance providers first work closely with the EPP to determine what training and support may already exist for residents, traditional clinical teachers, and host teachers. They then bring the district and EPP together to scope out the trainings, ensure they match the determined needs, and plan additional trainings. In many cases, the TA providers supports the planning and facilitation of some of the trainings as well.

Yes. Technical assistance providers adapt the service to efficiently facilitate the process with multiple EPPs. For example, some Design Sessions may occur with members of both EPPs present, while additional planning sessions may occur separately with each EPP partner. During Implementation Year, the technical assistance provider will support activities such as site visits and governance meetings with each EPP.