In 2013, First State lawmakers passed Senate Bill 51 calling for an improvement in teacher preparation programs throughout the state.
Wilmington University responded, using Race to the Top grant money to launch pilot partnerships with the Capital, Red Clay and Indian River School districts.
The program pairs 12 student-teachers in their final year of college with experienced educators, embedding them in their classroom for a whole school year.
Administrators from Wilmington University joined Governor Jack Markell (D) and state Education Secretary Mark Murphy at North Dover Elementary School today to meet with student-teachers enrolled in the college’s year-long classroom residency.
North Dover principal Suzette Marine says the full year approach is an improvement over traditional student teaching, which typically lasts a few months. Marine says the additional time will allow the residents to be involved in every aspect of the classroom.
“The interns are apart of all of that, and they get to know the students. So from day one they are already discussing about behavior and routines and things they need to set in place for specific students as we move throughout the school year”
Marine adds that interns also take on a co-teaching role in lesson planning and teacher appraisal.
Tyler Wells of Wilmington University's Office of Clinical Studies calls the residency a more rigorous and rewarding experience than traditional student teaching stints that last a fraction of the time.
“Research does state That actually the traditional model is broken and that collaborative partnerships and residencies such as this are the way to go and what we should be doing across the board," Wells said.
The program, which has students embedded at elementary schools in the three pilot districts, is funded in part by $230,000 thousand in Race to the Top grant funds awarded to Wilmington University’s teacher prep programs.
Wilmington University plans to expand the program over the next 18 months based on early feedback from administrators and faculty, adding student-teachers at current schools and seeking new partners.
Officials note the main hurdle is finding students that can afford a year long, unpaid internship.