BUFFALO, NY ― The Western New York Teacher Residency (WNYTR) program at Canisius University is the recipient of a $75,000 grant from The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to charitable and public services purposes in Western New York. The grant will provide financial assistance for students enrolled in the teacher residency program and a small amount of money for professional development for faculty, so they may continue to respond to the needs of teacher candidates and children in the college’s partner schools.
Canisius launched the Western New York Teacher Residency program in 2018 as a way to recruit and retain teachers to work in urban schools. The graduate level master’s degree program prepares skilled teachers who are committed to teaching in Buffalo schools, particularly those with high poverty rates and limited resources.
The WNYTR is a clinically-based residency program that includes master’s level classes coupled with a full year classroom apprenticeship in an elementary school with an effective mentor teacher. Students are paid by their schools to be teacher assistants or teaching partners. At the culmination of the year-long residency, Canisius students graduate with a master’s degree and dual certifications in childhood education and special education (grades 1-6).
The Western New York Teacher Residency program is housed within the Center for Urban Education (CUE) at Canisius University. The CUE works 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.
For more information about the Western New York Teacher Residency program at Canisius visit www.canisius.edu/western-new-york-teacher-residency.
One of 27 Jesuit universities in the nation, Canisius is the premier private university in Western New York.
