Strengthening the Teacher Pipeline in High-Need Districts - Summer 2021

Oct 15, 2026

Strengthening the Teacher Pipeline in High-Need Districts - Summer 2021 addresses why new teachers in high-need schools leave at high rates, especially amid pandemic-related disruptions to training and classroom placement. It presents the Marian Promise Residency Program, a partnership supported by a federal Teacher Quality Partnership grant, designed to recruit, prepare, and induct highly effective new teachers. The document details a one-year residency with integrated coursework and clinical practice, yearlong mentoring, structured feedback using an aspiring teacher rubric, and a stipend tied to a multi-year teaching commitment to improve retention and student outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Teacher retention challenges in high-need districts

Marian Promise Residency Program

Partnership and program purpose

One-year teacher residency design

Integrated coursework and clinical practice

Yearlong clinical practice with mentor teacher

Financial support and teaching commitment

Strengthening the Teacher Pipeline in High-Need Districts Summer 2021 New teachers face a steep learning curve in their first year. Mastering a new curriculum, developing lesson plans, and getting to know students and families while also learning their school’s systems, protocols, and expectations can be daunting. These challenges are no doubt factors in why new teachers leave the profession at high rates, particularly in high-need schools (Djonko-Moore, 2016), and the pandemic has driven an alarming increase in these trends (Hoang, 2020; Lachlan et al., 2020) . New teachers in the 2020-21 school year faced additional challenges, as candidates missed opportunities tobe in schools and classrooms in the spring and began the year teaching remotely, in-person, or in hybrid configurations, with students shifting from one mode to another (Kraft et al., 2020; Sokal et al., 2020) . Evidence has pointed to the pandemic’s disproportionate effects in high-need schools, and teacher retention in these schools, which has long been poor (García & Weiss, 2019), likely will be also disproportionately affected. For these reasons, districts across the country are looking for better ways to help new teachers to be more effective and retain these effective teachers in high-need schools and classrooms. A Solution: The Marian Promise Residency Program John Ramsey Jr. Marian Promise Resident Teacher Supporting new teachers to be more effective early in their careers is at the heart of an innovative partnership making a difference in schools in the Indianapolis metro area. Supported by a federal Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant, the Marian Promise residency program is a collaborative effort among three high-need school districts (Perry Township Schools, MSD of Decatur Township, and Beech Grove City Schools), the Klipsch Educators College (KEC) at Marian University, and the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET). Together, these partners are developing a residency and induction system for the recruitment, preparation, and continued development of highly effective new teachers that address critical needs in their district and state. Marian Promise is helping Indiana districts put in place a system of support for new teachers with the aim of increasing both their effectiveness and retention, thereby positively impacting the achievement of the students they serve. A Strong One-Year Teacher Residency Program The first half of Marian Promise is a teacher residency program. Modeled on medical residency, teacher residency programs provide a solution to addressing teacher shortages in high-need districts (Guha et al., 2016) . Teacher residency programs tend to produce graduates who are more likely to teach in hardto staff subject areas and remain in the profession (e.g., Azar et al., 2020; Guha et al., 2016; Papay et al., 2012) . A review of teacher residency programs funded by the federal Teacher Quality Partnership Grants Program found that residency program graduates also felt more prepared than other newly certified teachers on a number of aspects, including planning, instruction, classroom management, and assessment (Silva et al., 2014) . Increasingly, state and district policymakers are investing in this approach. Features of teacher residency programs that research has shown to be associated with high teacher retention and positive student outcomes include 1) tightly integrated coursework and clinical practice, 2) a full year clinical practice with a high-performing mentor teacher, and 3) financial support in exchange for a three-to-five-year teaching commitment in the district (Guha et al., 2016) . “The Marian Promise program gives the mentor teacher an opportunity to coach and support teacher residents in their district. These teacher leaders share and model their teaching practices throughout the school year, which yields results that accelerate best practices for the residents.” -Dr. Francita McMichel, Marian

FAQs

Why do new teachers leave high-need schools at high rates?

New teachers face a steep learning curve in mastering curriculum, building lesson plans, and understanding school systems and expectations. Pandemic disruptions added further challenges, and evidence suggests disproportionate impacts in high-need schools.

What is the Marian Promise Residency Program?

Marian Promise is a residency and induction system developed through a partnership supported by a federal Teacher Quality Partnership grant. It focuses on recruiting, preparing, and continuing development of highly effective new teachers in high-need districts.

What are the key components of the one-year teacher residency?

The program includes tightly integrated coursework and clinical practice, a full year of clinical practice with a high-performing mentor teacher and observation-feedback cycles using the NIET Aspiring Teacher Rubric, and financial support tied to a multi-year teaching commitment.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair