S10 Episode 11: The Potential for an Arizona Teacher Residency Program with Dr. Victoria Theisen-Homer

Episode Notes

What do you know about teacher residency programs? These newer teacher training programs are growing in popularity across the country. Today, 3Ps in a Pod hosts Marlys and Donnie talk with Dr. Victoria Theisen-Homer about teacher residency programs and the potential for them in Arizona.

Originally from Phoenix, Dr. Theisen-Homer began her career as a teacher in a large Title 1 high school in Los Angeles, where she was named Los Angeles Unified School District Teacher of the Year. She has spent the last several years earning her doctorate in education from Harvard University, focusing on teacher residency programs and the impact they have on teacher recruitment and retention. Her book Learning to Connect: Relationships, Race, and Teacher Education looks at two teacher residency programs and compares their effects on how teachers build meaningful relationships with students, especially across racial and cultural differences.

In this episode, Dr. Theisen-Homer shares about her teacher preparation journey and what led her to want to explore teacher residencies. She explains how a teacher residency program works and how it is different from traditional undergraduate programs and alternative pathways. She also shares data on the sentiment in Arizona about the idea of a teacher residency and the excitement she has for how these new programs could transform the teacher pipeline.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.