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The United States is seeing a widespread teacher shortage. Enrollments in TPPs have declined over the past decades, attrition rates are high, and the COVID-19 pandemic just exacerbated the issue. National and state governments, colleges and universities, and school districts have been looking to strengthen the teacher pipeline by establishing alternative, non-traditional TPPs, such as teacher residency programs (TRP). These programs seek to strengthen the teacher pipeline by recruiting local community members, offering low-to-no-cost tuition and paid on-the-job training. As a result of this Grow Your Own (GYO) initiative, the Tennessee County School System (TCSS) partnered with a local university and designed a 3-year undergraduate teacher residency model to strengthen the teacher pipeline in their school district. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine the overall effectiveness of that residency program by comparing the classroom observation scores of first-year elementary teachers who completed the TCSS TRP to first-year elementary teachers who graduated from other teacher preparation models (OTPMs). The researchers also compared their self-efficacy scores and interviewed some of the teacher residents about the most impactful aspects of the program. The findings indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups of first-year teachers in regard to observation scores. However, the teachers' self-scored self-efficacy survey ratings showed a statistically significant difference; the first-year teachers from the TCSS TRP rated their belief in their ability to perform various teacher tasks higher than those who graduated from any OTPM. The qualitative data overwhelmingly revealed that mentorship and coaching played a significant role in the teacher residents' experience. About 71% of teacher residents claimed that working with a mentor had a positive impact on their residency experience and their overall sense of preparedness. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The United States is seeing a widespread teacher shortage. Enrollments in TPPs have declined over the past decades, attrition rates are high, and the COVID-19 pandemic just exacerbated the issue. National and state governments, colleges and universities, and school districts have been looking to strengthen the teacher pipeline by establishing alternative, non-traditional TPPs, such as teacher residency programs (TRP). These programs seek to strengthen the teacher pipeline by recruiting local community members, offering low-to-no-cost tuition and paid on-the-job training. As a result of this Grow Your Own (GYO) initiative, the Tennessee County School System (TCSS) partnered with a local university and designed a 3-year undergraduate teacher residency model to strengthen the teacher pipeline in their school district. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine the overall effectiveness of that residency program by comparing the classroom observation scores of first-year elementary teachers who completed the TCSS TRP to first-year elementary teachers who graduated from other teacher preparation models (OTPMs). The researchers also compared their self-efficacy scores and interviewed some of the teacher residents about the most impactful aspects of the program. The findings indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups of first-year teachers in regard to observation scores. However, the teachers' self-scored self-efficacy survey ratings showed a statistically significant difference; the first-year teachers from the TCSS TRP rated their belief in their ability to perform various teacher tasks higher than those who graduated from any OTPM. The qualitative data overwhelmingly revealed that mentorship and coaching played a significant role in the teacher residents' experience. About 71% of teacher residents claimed that working with a mentor had a positive impact on their residency experience and their overall sense of preparedness. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]