As districts face the recurring problem of ensuring every student has access to a high-quality teacher talent, a growing number have begun to proactively form deep, mutually beneficial partnerships with teacher preparation programs to produce teacher candidates who match their specific needs. These partnerships, when done well, take significant time and resources on behalf of both parties, but have the ability to transform the work of both institutions. In this brief, we map out 10 recommendations to help districts and teacher preparation programs initiate, implement and sustain these types of partnerships. We include specific examples and advice from a number of national teacher preparation experts and feature seven leading partnerships. We also includes key funding considerations and recommendations for policymakers looking to encourage these types of partnerships.
We’ve designed the report, and its executive summary, to function as a practitioner’s guide for districts and teacher preparation programs looking to find better, and deeper ways to partner with one another. This report was researched and written with support from the Joyce Foundation.
