Co-Principal Investigators: Britt Wilkenfeld (Colorado Department of Education); Laney Shaler (Denver Public Schools); Karen Riley (University of Denver)

Partner Institutions: Colorado State Department of Education (SDE), Denver Public Schools (DPS), University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver), and University of Denver (DU)

Purpose: Growing evidence shows extended clinical placements (residencies) support teacher candidate effectiveness, and states are increasingly requiring residencies for teacher preparation. Little is known, however, about the critical features of residency. Residency models vary widely in standards, approaches, and resources. Data on why and how models differ, or how candidates perform, is limited and often not comparable across programs. This project will (1) examine how and why the seven teacher residencies in the area differ in their program models, demographics, resources, and partnership features, (2) establish shared approaches to assess teacher candidates' performance, and (3) explore technological and other assistance that preparation providers might need to be able to improve and scale clinically-rich quality teacher preparation programs.

Partnership Activities: The team intends to establish a sustainable partnership through creation of CO-CORE, a consortium committed to growing and strengthening residency preparation models. CO-CORE will complete a range of crosswalk activities to understand residency models, costs, and assessments; pilot common performance measures; increase technological capacity for data sharing; and study new residency program development.

Setting: The research will take place in Denver, CO.

Population/Sample: The sample includes seven programs and approximately 540 annual graduates from diverse backgrounds who will participate in the programs each year. All district residency programs are participating, including alternatives and traditional programs, undergraduates and graduates, and most licensure areas.

Data Analytic Strategy: The study is using several analytic approaches, including (1) descriptive analyses to provide a scan of residency types and profiles based on ELT practices, (2) coding and qualitative analyses of principal interview data, (3) correlational analyses to examine relationships, and (4) regression to conduct exploratory analyses of program data and impact.

Outcomes: The project will produce 1) documentation of processes used to reach consensus on how to conduct state-level research on teacher education programs; 2) documentation of critical elements for residencies linked to the outcomes of teaching candidates, mentor teachers, and students; and 3) initial cost analyses of the residencies. Ultimately, the goal for the partners is to develop a strong blueprint for teacher preparation, including valid and manageable assessment systems, so that all preparation programs are designed to provide candidates with strong preparation.