April 8, 2022 鈥擳wo $250,000 grants from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing will enable a successful (海角社区CI) teacher residency partnership program to expand and explore new opportunities.
One of the grants went to the teacher residency program launched in 2019, which provides full tuition for 海角社区CI teaching credential candidates who are selected as residents, plus a stipend up to $10,000. The program is in partnership with the (OSD), (OUHSD); the and the (SBUSD).
The other grant went to the Santa Paula Unified School District to enable the district to join the residency program in Fall 2022.
鈥淎 traditional student teacher program is a huge investment,鈥� said Associate Dean and Director of Clinical Experiences and Partnerships Kathryn M. Howard, Ph.D. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a year or two out of your life, you鈥檙e in the classroom full time and you鈥檙e not getting paid. At the same time, you鈥檙e also taking four to five courses. You don鈥檛 have time to support your family or yourself, so we look at this stipend as an investment in tomorrow鈥檚 teachers.鈥�
Called a 鈥渃apacity鈥� grant, this five-year funding plan will allow for more professional development for mentor teachers who host residents in their classrooms. In addition, the grant is earmarked for a residency program for student teachers interested in Transitional Kindergarten (TK), which was pioneered in California. The program is for kids who are too advanced for preschool but not quite ready for kindergarten.
TK is expected to be fully rolled out beginning in Fall of 2022, expanding each year until it is available to all of the state鈥檚 four-year-olds by 2025-26. The plan is to gradually phase in younger students each year, so there will be a demand for TK teachers.
Assistant Professor of Education Talya Drescher, Ph.D. and Professor of Education Michelle Dean, Ph.D. developed the dual credential program in which student teachers could earn their special education credential along with a multiple subject credential. 海角社区CI鈥檚 School of Education is working with the Santa Paula district to add this dual credential because of the quality of the district鈥檚 Special Education program, and because, as a smaller district, it鈥檚 easier to make modifications before expanding the dual credential program into other, larger districts.
The residency program is a win-win for the students, the schools and the community because the paid tuition and stipend helps attract students who might otherwise not have the financial means to pursue a teaching credential. The program is designed to promote equity and access, especially to bilingual student teachers of color, who are in great demand, especially in Ventura County.
鈥淥ne of the core values of this residency program is a commitment to social justice,鈥� Howard said. 鈥淲e are trying to create a way to make teacher education accessible to people who may not otherwise have the means to pursue a career in education.鈥�
It鈥檚 a win for school districts as they are able to recruit and train student teachers from the area鈥攕ome who may have attended the same school where they are now training to join the faculty.
鈥淭hese are people who came up through the school districts in Ventura County and have lived here all of their lives,鈥� Howard said. 鈥淭hey may have family in the area, or they may not have the financial resources necessary to become teachers. The residency program makes it possible for us to prepare a teaching work force that better reflects the community.鈥�
Currently, 41 海角社区CI students seeking their teaching credential were selected as residents and embedded in schools in the participating districts. Student teachers like Maria Lopez Ochoa are assigned to a specific classroom with a mentor teacher, working under the school鈥檚 calendar.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 awesome because we get to see what it鈥檚 really like in the classroom for a whole year, and not just a semester,鈥� Ochoa said.
Ochoa, 33, is doing her teaching residency at in El Rio, in the same district where she went to school. She said the tuition and stipend made all the difference for her to be able to work toward her credential.
鈥淗aving the money was a godsend because I wasn鈥檛 going to be able to work while doing my residency.鈥� said Ochoa. 鈥淢y husband would have had to take all the responsibility of caring not only for me, but for our two kids.鈥�
The 20 teaching residents in the OUHSD are being funded by the district. The 19 in the Oxnard or Rio School district are being funded by a grant written in partnership with 海角社区CI and the .
There are two teaching residents in Santa Barbara, too, who are funded through the SBUSD and the , which seeks to enrich the social and cultural environment in Santa Barbara, with support for education high on the list.
Ochoa looks forward to graduating soon with her teaching credential and her , which will allow her to teach native Spanish speakers who are learning English.
鈥淲e live in a community where most of our students are Hispanic and speak Spanish,鈥� Ochoa said. 鈥淚 wish I had the type of instruction they have now when I was in school. Because it validates the students鈥� identities.鈥�