Over the past year, a small team at Bank Street has been grappling with the challenge of how to improve teacher preparation nationwide. This morning, The New York Times published an op-ed by President Shael Polakow-Suransky, Josh Thomases, Dean of Innovation, Policy, and Research, and Karen DeMoss, Director of the Sustainable Funding Project, titled “Train Teachers like Doctors.”
In the piece, the authors argue that funding yearlong co-teaching experiences—commonly referred to as residencies—should be a key priority. Residencies provide teacher candidates with the opportunity to work alongside an accomplished teacher while studying child development and teaching methods. Studies have found that graduates of teacher-residency programs are more likely to both improve student learning and remain in teaching longer than other new teachers. While a yearlong clinical experience in classrooms is central to Bank Street’s model, it’s very rare in most other teacher preparation programs. The authors write:
Minimal training for teachers is simply not good enough. Legislatures and school districts have proven, affordable options at their disposal. If we are serious about improving public education, we need to invest in our aspiring teachers and ensure they get sustained practice with real coaching and support. The nation will need more than a million new teachers in the next decade. They will be teaching our future doctors, engineers, and pilots—all of whom will have high-quality professional training at the side of experts in their field. Our teachers deserve the same.
Read the full piece at The New York Times and please feel free to reach out to Shael, Josh, or Karen with any feedback or questions. If you are interested in learning more about this issue and the powerful national network Bank Street is helping to build, read the Sustainable Funding Project’s first report, For the Public Good: Quality Preparation for Every Teacher.