Record Breaking Number of Teacher Residents to Join Classrooms Across Chicago Public Schools

CHICAGO – Initiatives to increase homegrown teacher talent are continuing to show results as Chicago Public Schools (CPS) celebrates the largest cohort ever of its innovative teacher training program. This year’s 206 inductees were honored at a ceremony on Tuesday when District leaders applauded their hard work and journey to becoming CPS teachers.

The CPS Teacher Residency, launched in 2017, is a full-time, paid training program that offers a pathway to teaching for professionals who wish to pursue a new career in education, as well as paraprofessionals who work in classroom support roles and want to become full-time teachers leading a classroom.

“There is a national teacher shortage and, as an innovative and high achieving public school district, we are not going to sit idly and wait for qualified educators to find their way to us,” said CPS’ Chief Talent Officer Ben Felton. “We are proactively investing in the potential and ambitions of our own staff and those interested in joining us by offering resources and pathways to foster homegrown talent. You can see the impacts of these efforts as our teacher recruitment and training programs are growing year over year.”

Of the 206 inductees this year, 52 residents are Black and 79 residents are Latinx. The program focuses on recruiting and training candidates who can fill high-need teaching positions, with 67 percent of this year’s residents eligible to teach special education, 33 percent eligible to teach early childhood education and 19 percent eligible to teach bilingual education.

Patrick Blake spent much of his early career zigzagging through various professions that never felt quite right. When he came across the Teacher Residency Program, it immediately stuck. Over the past year, he has been a full-time, paid resident teacher in 8th grade science at Bridge Middle School. He was paired with a mentor who guided him along the way, in preparation for this fall, when he will lead his own classroom.

“This has been one of the best decisions of my life,” Blake said. “If you love teaching and you have the heart to guide children, I would say go for it. I don’t think I would be able to do this if this program and my mentor weren’t here to help me through it. Without these resources, I think a lot of people are gatekept from this profession.”

How It Works

The Teacher Residency Program helps current employees or career changers earn the educational degrees, credentials, and on-the-job experience needed to become CPS teachers.

• Residents begin the higher education coursework in the summer before their first year in the classroom.
• The residents are paired in the classroom with mentor teachers during their first year, for hands-on experience and training. As CPS employees, they earn salaries and health benefits during this residency.
• After demonstrating effectiveness during their training, residents receive support in finding a full-time position for their second year, during which they lead their own classrooms, at a significant increase in pay.
• Following the initial training year and a commitment to work at CPS for at least three additional years, residents are hired as full-time CPS teachers and receive another pay increase.

The CPS Teacher Residency has grown steadily since 2017, when it began with a pilot cohort of 12 teachers-in-training. The growth showcased in this year’s cohort is expected to persist as the District continues its focus on recruitment of educators in high-needs subject areas. The program currently allows participants to focus on several subject areas, including early childhood education, special education, bilingual education, math, science, P.E., dance and theater.

Reversing Trends Through Homegrown Talent

Amidst the nationwide teacher shortage, particularly among Black and Latinx populations, the District has turned its focus in recent years to invest in the Teach Chicago initiative, CPS’ comprehensive strategy to build the highest-quality and most diverse teaching force in the nation. The goal for the District’s new teacher residency programs is to prepare more than 700 new teachers in high-demand subject areas over the next five years.

These efforts have helped reverse a 25-year trend of declining levels of black teachers, even as many are reaching retirement age. For the school year 2025, the District had more than 24,000 total teachers, which is 17% more than staffing levels in the 2018 school year. Nearly half of the new teachers this year identify as Black or Latinx, up from 32 percent in 2019 and 60 percent of new CPS teachers identify as teachers of color.

Key supporters of the CPS Teacher Residency are the Joyce Foundation, the Crown Family Philanthropies, and the National Center for Teacher Residencies. Teach Chicago is also supported by the Crown Family Philanthropies and the Joyce Foundation, with additional support provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

To learn more about the Teacher Residency program, visit the Teach Chicago website.