NYU Steinhardt, the nation’s oldest university-based school of pedagogy, plans a residency-based technology-enhanced teacher education program. Pending state approval, the proposed program – announced in conjunction with the National Education Week conference – would enable students to earn a graduate degree by combining online course work with immersive on-site experiences in high-needs schools.
With growing numbers of new teachers reporting a lack of adequate preparation and astounding attrition rates, the nationwide teacher shortage is especially affecting children in urban communities.
Teacher residency programs combine a year of full-time experience in a classroom with rigorous graduate course work. But unlike medicine or law, the residency model is rare in education. According to the U.S. Department of Education, only five percent of aspiring teachers are enrolling through university-supported alternative programs, including teacher residencies.
The proposed Steinhardt program will pair intensive academic modules with structured and immersive full-time residency experiences. NYU Steinhardt faculty will support and mentor students, known as resident interns, as they build skills and competencies, and will add classroom responsibilities through a “gradual release model.”
Silicon Valley-based HotChalk, Inc.’s technology platform, paired with an online video observation and collaboration tool from New Orleans-based startup Torsh, Inc., will enable rigorous analytics designed to support, term after term, a continuous cycle of measuring, learning, and adapting to improve educational outcomes for students and teachers alike.
During the event, Joe Ross, chief strategy officer of HotChalk, and Courtney Williams, CEO of Torsh, joined faculty members Joseph McDonald and Diana Turk on stage.