UNC Charlotte Receives $1.8 Million for Teacher Residency Program with Cabarrus County

The Cato College of Education has been awarded a five-year, $1.8-million grant to fund an opportunity for a select group of aspiring teachers to receive a living wage while completing the UNC Charlotte Teacher Residency Program. This cost-effective, efficient, and high-quality program is designed to diversify the teaching workforce for understaffed subject areas and high-need schools in Cabarrus County. Graduates can earn initial teacher licensure and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in less than 18 months.

 The UNC Charlotte Teacher Quality Partnership focuses on aspiring middle and secondary school teachers in math, science, foreign language, and English as a Second Language (ESL). Students in the program will receive a living wage stipend that covers the full cost of tuition, textbooks and supplies, and additional expenses.

The program was developed in collaboration with Cabarrus County Schools (CCS) and funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) program. It builds on UNC Charlotte’s current residency programs, and will provide an infusion of teachers into CCS.

Program leaders have set a goal of recruiting 36 teacher candidates, approximately half of whom are students of color and one-third aspiring mathematics and science teachers, with graduates going on to teach in a high-need CCS school.

“This grant makes a terrific contribution toward all of our recent work in developing new pathways to prepare teachers and refining how we teach and coach candidates,” said Ellen McIntyre, dean of the Cato College of Education.

The college’s comprehensive effort to be a leader in teacher preparation is grounded in data-based decision making, faculty professional development, curricular redesign, and a shift toward helping candidates master a small number of critical skills that all new teachers need to be effective

Cabarrus County Schools faculty will serve as mentoring teachers for residency candidates, and will participate in UNC Charlotte’s annual Teacher Education Institute in preparation for this role. Students also participate in off-site labs where candidates meet to rehearse strategies and receive feedback. Eligible candidates who receive the stipend must commit to teaching at a high-need school in CCS for a minimum of three years. 

“We are thrilled with our long-standing partnership with Cabarrus County Schools and its support in developing this new residency program,” McIntyre said. 

McIntyre and associate deans Teresa Petty and Scott Kissau were lead writers on the grant proposal for UNC Charlotte.

The first cohort of students in the program will begin in Fall 2020