GSE to host institute on innovative teacher preparation model

The Graduate School of Education is hosting its inaugural Teacher Residency Summer Institute, a week-long program that officially kicks off the residency year.

As part of the full institute, being held Aug. 5-9, special open sessions on Aug. 7 in the Center for Tomorrow, North Campus, will bring together district, school, community and university stakeholders to explore collaborative models for teacher education and how district-community-university partnerships can be a lever for transforming urban schools and communities.

Titled “Connect, Collaborate, Transform: Reimagining Teacher Education,” the Aug. 7 open sessions will focus attention on the teacher residency model that is designed to provide year-long immersive classroom co-teaching experiences in schools. Funded residency programs have proven effective at building a more diverse community of teachers, preparing learner-ready teachers and reducing teacher attrition rates.

Approximately 130 educators from the Buffalo Public School and the Graduate School of Education, including district and school leaders, mentor teachers, residents, university faculty and other community partners are expected to attend the institute.

“The UB Teacher Residency Summer Institute is an opportunity to bring together residents, mentor teachers, school district personnel, university faculty and community leaders — all of the key stakeholders in our residency program — to ensure that residents and mentor teachers are ready to engage in their yearlong co-teaching experience,” says GSE Dean Suzanne Rosenblith.

“It is also our goal to ensure that all of these stakeholders understand the power and possibility of preparing new teachers through residency so that they can support the process. The institute represents the best of university-district-community collaboration.”

On Aug. 7, Rosenblith will give the institute’s welcoming and opening remarks with Kriner Cash, superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools.

Keynote speaker that day is Etta Hollins, former Kauffman Endowed Chair for Urban Education at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Hollins will speak on teaching and learning in urban contexts, with a particular focus on preparing teachers to work effectively with historically marginalized student populations.

Also featured in the program are guests from the Richmond Teacher Residency Program from Virginia Commonwealth University, which addresses challenges of recruitment, preparation, support and retention of teachers in Richmond, Va. As an established program, constituents from Richmond will share their experience and offer expertise in launching a residency program in Buffalo

UB’s Teacher Residency Program aims to increase educational opportunities for all students by preparing and supporting racially, ethnically, economically and linguistically diverse professionals through a sustained, immersive, co-teaching residency that emphasizes collaborative professionalism.  

“With the vision of ensuring more equitable school experiences for all students, the program aims to diversify the local teaching community while simultaneously preparing, supporting and retaining learner-ready teachers who foster positive academic and social-emotional change in classrooms, schools and communities,” says Amanda Winkelsas, UB Teacher Residency program director.

UB’s Teacher Residency Program recruits and trains strong, economically and racially diverse candidates, while diminishing the first-year learning curve for new teachers. The program works to nurture well-prepared, qualified candidates for high-need positions and hard-to-staff schools, while retaining teachers in the profession, reducing turnover and providing stability.

For more information including the full schedule of open sessions, visit the UBTR Institute website.