Teacher Residency

General Information

The California state budget signed by the Governor in July 2021 includes a total of $350 million in funding for competitive grants to support a collaborative partnership between an eligible Local Education Agency (LEA) or a consortium of LEAs partnering with one or more Commission-approved teacher preparation programs offered by a regionally accredited institution of higher education (IHE) to expand, strengthen, improve access to, or create teacher residency programs. The funding may be used to establish new teacher residency programs that support either of the following: (a) designated shortage fields including special education, bilingual education, computer science, science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), transitional kindergarten (TK), or kindergarten and/or (b) local efforts to recruit, develop support systems for, provide outreach and communication strategies to, and retain a diverse teacher workforce that reflects a local education agency community’s diversity.

• Contact Email: TeacherResGrants@ctc.ca.gov
• Authorizing Legislation
• Teacher Residency Data Dashboard
  WestEd serves as the external evaluator for Teacher Residency Grant Program. This dashboard is a tool to understand the preparation and retention of diverse teachers in shortage fields funded through the Teacher Residency Grant program, by showing patterns of enrollment, program completion, and hiring.  

Teacher Residency Capacity Grant Program 

• The California state budget signed by the Governor in July 2021 includes $25 million in funding for the Teacher Residency Capacity Grant Program. As of December 2024, all funds have been awarded.
• Funding Announcements for the 2021 Teacher Residency Capacity Grant Program

Teacher Residency Implementation & Expansion Grant Programs

• The Commission is not currently accepting applications for the Teacher Residency Implementation & Expansion Grant Program.
• Annual Appendix D Update: Any local education agency (LEA) grantee/consortium with an existing Teacher Residency Implementation and/or Expansion Grant may modify their program by adding diversification characteristics, residency areas, and/or LEA partners. Grantees will not be allowed to request additional resident projections or grant funding using this process. Requests are due to the Commission on or before 5:00pm on April 24, 2026.
• Questions & Answers for the 2021 Teacher Residency Implementation and Expansion Grant Request for Applications
• Funding Announcement for the 2021 Teacher Residency Implementation and Expansion Grant Program 

Additional Resources

Resources have been contributed by organizations with experience operating teacher residency programs and/or analyzing their effectiveness and utility.  These resources are for information only and have been provided to help guide new or existing teacher residency programs applying for the Teacher Residency Grant Program.  Prospective applicants should determine what resources are most appropriate for their local context.

• SRTAC Residency Coaching/Support Request Form
• SRTAC Resources Webpage
• SRTAC Article: Leveraging LCAP Funding
• Additional Guidance for 2021 Teacher Residency Grants Program Grantees: Commitment of LEA Grantees and Teacher Residency Beyond the Teacher Residency Year
• Teacher Residency Grant Program – Additional Resources
• WestEd Teacher Residency Project Page
  WestEd and the Commission have partnered to evaluate CA Teacher Residency programs. Their Formative Evaluation and Year 1 Finding can be found on this page.
• CDE Foundation’s CA Residency Lab Page
  The California Residency Lab partners with the Commission to provide technical assistance and support to grant funded residency programs. Information on their focus areas, impact, and upcoming events can be found on this page.
• Sustainable Strategies for Funding Teacher Residencies
  Learning Policy Institute (LPI) and Bank Street share lessons from California regarding sustaining Teacher Residencies
• Statewide Educator Identifier (SEID) Lookup Directions

Commission Agenda Item

Agenda Item 3E – April 2024
This agenda item presents findings from WestEd on the Teacher Residency program authorized by the 2018 state budget and includes an update for the Commission on the continuance of the Teacher and School Counselor Residency Grant Programs authorized by 2021 and 2022 funds.