BUFFALO, NY ― As the region’s leader in urban teacher education, Canisius University announces the establishment of the Western New York Teacher Residency, an innovative approach to training the next generation of teachers. Slated to launch in fall 2018, the full-time master’s degree program is designed for college graduates with no prior education coursework who want to pursue a teaching career focused in urban schools. The program provides the necessary coursework and field experiences to become certified in Childhood and Special Education, and can be completed in just two years.
“Similar to medical school residencies, where physicians are trained in hospitals alongside practicing clinicians, residents in this new program will co-teach for a full year alongside veteran educators who will coach and gradually ease them into more responsibilities throughout the school year,” says Jeffrey R. Lindauer, PhD, dean of the School of Education & Human Services. He explains that urban teachers need extended experiences in the field to meet the needs of school-dependent students.
The program is supported by a generous, two-year grant from the Cullen Foundation, which enables Canisius to provide additional support to help program participants manage the cost of tuition and living expenses, including:
• A Teacher Residency Scholarship that covers 30 percent of graduate tuition
• A living wage stipend (approximately $20,000) that is provided during the second year
• Discounted on-campus housing
• Priority hiring status upon completion of the program
The Western New York Teacher Residency program requires interested graduate students to apply for a residency position. Approximately 10 individuals will be selected for the first year and an additional 10 will be selected for the second year. Students make a three-year commitment to teach in an urban school in the Buffalo Niagara region after completing the program.
The Western New York Teacher Residency program will operate under the strategic guidance of the National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR). The non-profit organization works to improve student achievement through the preparation of excellent new teachers for high-need school districts. Based in Chicago, NCTR’s two-fold mission is to build and support high performing teacher residency programs, and to impact and inform the transformation of teacher preparation through the dissemination of research and best practices.
Canisius launched the Center for Urban Education in January 2017. It is housed within the college’s School of Education and Human Services and collaborates with the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in urban schools across Western New York. The expertise and resources of the partnership help to enhance the overall quality of the teacher education program at Canisius and provides potential teachers for Buffalo and Western New York schools. A recruitment and retention component of the program also works to enhance the number and diversity of the candidate pool.
The Cullen Foundation is an independent, private foundation dedicated to enhancing education for students in grades pre-K through 12, and advancing performing arts for Erie County. It was established by John S. “Jack” Cullen, the late founder and head of Multisorb Technologies. His estate provided the funding for the foundation.
For more information about the Western New York Teacher Residency program at Canisius visit www.canisius.edu/western-new-york-teacher-residency.
One of 28 Jesuit universities in the nation, Canisius is the premier private university in Western New York.
-30-
