Teacher Apprenticeship Programs

REL Northwest developed a brief that describes characteristics of teacher apprenticeship programs, outlines considerations for monitoring the quality and outcomes of the programs, and summarizes research on the quality and retention of graduates of similar programs and the academic achievement of their students.

A review of existing teacher apprenticeship programs suggests there are five core components:

• On-the-job learning
• Mentorship
• Supplemental education
• Credentialing
• Progressive wages

Indicators of teacher apprenticeship program quality identified by the National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards for Registered Apprenticeships for K-12 teachers include the following:

• Apprentice content knowledge
• Apprentice skills
• Apprentice program progress and completion rates
• Mentor effectiveness
• Teacher retention rates
• Teacher quality
• Student achievement

The summary of research on teacher residency programs, which are similar to teacher apprenticeship programs but have been studied more extensively, includes findings related to the following outcomes:

• Teacher retention
• Teacher quality
• Student achievement

The annotated bibliography section includes summaries of citations included in the brief.

The brief was developed in response to a request from the Idaho Office of the State Board of Education (OSBE). The Idaho OSBE requested information on existing teacher apprenticeship programs to inform the design of its state-sponsored teacher apprenticeship program. The brief may inform decisionmakers as they design and implement teacher pathways.