Arizona Teacher Residency program opens new cycle of applications

PHOENIX — The Arizona Teacher Residency, a two-year program that offers aspiring teachers hands-on experience, opened a new application cycle for the 2022-23 school year this week.

The program was first announced in October and is modeled after medical residencies to recruit and prepare K-8 teachers in Arizona. It will expand to high school teachers in the future, according to the Arizona Department of Education.

The inaugural cohort will start in July with a two-week preparation course at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

The first year of the program involves an in-school apprenticeship with a supervising teacher in either the Osborn or Roosevelt school districts or at Tempe Elementary School.

Participants in the second year will teach in the district of their apprenticeship.

The aspiring teachers will complete coursework throughout the two years and receive a master’s degree from NAU upon completion. The residents will then be committed to teaching in their districts for at least two more school years.

“The severity of our teacher shortage requires multiple strategies, and now our state has another tool in our toolbox to address this crisis,” Kathy Hoffman, state superintendent of public instruction, said at a press conference in October.

The application is due by March 20 and is a multi-step process including basic information, transcripts, a resume, three personal statements and recommendations.