Westport Public Schools Announces Participation In CREC Teacher Residency Program
According to a press release from the Westport Public Schools:
“The Westport Public Schools proudly announces their participation in CREC’s Teacher Residency Program beginning in the school year 2021-2022.
The CREC Teacher Residency Program (TRP) began in 2019, with approval from the Connecticut State Department of Education as a revolutionary method of recruiting, training, certifying, and retaining elementary teachers of color. TRP, in partnership with the RESC Alliance, operated at four locations in 2020-2021.
Participating districts join together to create a cohort of teacher trainees (residents) who work in the district with a mentor teacher and take classes with others in the cohort. Westport will participate in the cohort sponsored by Cooperative Educational Services in Trumbull.
Residents begin their 18-month road to elementary certification, starting with a six-week intensive summer course to prepare them for the year. Residents are each paid a salary, with benefits, as they gain first-hand experience with their mentor teacher for one year. Residents continue to take classes throughout the year, in the summer and into the fall. Residents who successfully complete the certification requirements are guaranteed full-time classroom teaching positions in the second school year with their participating district. CREC’s idea through this program is to prioritize minority candidates’ potential to work with diverse students, provide quality training and minimize barriers to traditional certification programs.
Mr. Thomas Scarice, Superintendent of Schools, noted, “The Westport Public Schools involvement with CREC’s Teacher Residency Program speaks not only to our commitment with creating a more diverse workforce but also to making this a long term focus for our schools and the greater community.”
As part of the 2021-22 TRP Cohort, Westport will employ one teacher resident in an elementary school.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring this model to other school districts across Connecticut. Since its inception, we have had 26 residents of color in the program and look forward to doubling that number in the coming year,” says Marlene Megos, Director of the CREC Teacher Residency Program.
CREC and its partners hope to assist the State meet its goal of increasing the number of teachers of color across Connecticut by 1000 in the next year. CREC TRP eliminates the typical barriers to certification for teachers of color, like the high cost of graduate school tuition, standardized test requirements, and inadequate preparation for candidates.
“Embracing diverse teacher candidates with existing connections to students and their community is the key to stronger, more welcoming schools,” said Conn. Commissioner of Education Miguel A. Cardona in October 2020. “Case in point is CREC's innovative ‘grow your own’ Teacher Residency Program providing mentorship and support to school staff on their path to certification.”
Westport’s commitment to increasing staff diversity is in line with the State’s commitment to increasing racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of Connecticut’s teaching workforce. Westport hopes that the partnership with CREC and the RESC Alliance can soon achieve full fiscal support through broader public and private sponsorship.
More information about CREC TRP can be found at www.crec.org/c/trp.
Resident candidates can apply between January 4 and March 5, 2021. To register to learn more about this program, click here
As of December 11, eighteen districts across Connecticut have signed on to Partner with ACES, CES, CREC and LEARN for the 2021-22 Cohorts being offered in those regions. “