(DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)
The
Academy for Urban School Leadership recently honored DePaul’s College of Education for nearly a decade of work in advancing educational equity through the
Chicago Teacher Residency program.
A nonprofit organization that provides equity-focused programming to improve educational outcomes for students in underinvested communities, the AUSL created the residency to recruit and train a diverse group of teachers for school districts such as Chicago Public Schools.
The residency, a one-year program, provides individuals with a stipend as they obtain a master’s degree from the College of Education and gain in-classroom experience with guidance from DePaul faculty, AUSL coaches and mentors, and CPS teachers who are CTR alumni. Upon completion of the program, individuals earn an Illinois teaching certificate and are placed full-time within Chicago Public Schools.
“We in the College of Education are so grateful to celebrate this first institutional partnership award with our friends at AUSL,” says Paul Zionts, dean of the college. “Both AUSL and DePaul are intrinsically dedicated to serving underinvested communities and improving educational outcomes for students.
“The missions of the two organizations are so closely related that we have been able to build a symbiotic relationship with AUSL — one that prepares teachers better for service and improves the pedagogy of our own teaching programs. In summary, teachers, DePaul and Chicago are better for this relationship.”
In nine years, DePaul has graduated hundreds of students through the Chicago Teacher Residency, most of whom have stayed in Chicago to teach in CPS. The College of Education recently received a grant of nearly $5 million from the U.S. Department of Education to continue this work, with a goal of placing 800 educators over five years into schools serving predominantly low-income students in high-need neighborhoods.
“AUSL’s work has always been predicated on educational equity and excellence,” says AUSL Executive Director Donald Feinstein. “DePaul University’s College of Education has provided invaluable support to the Chicago Teacher Residency, educating aspiring teachers whose future contributions will benefit Chicago’s students.”