Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a district on the rise, serving over 320,000 students in 500+ schools and employing over 44,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.
In collaboration with partners across the city, the CPS Talent Office has launched Teach Chicago 2025, an initiative that includes the Teacher Residency Program as a key lever to support schools in the district to accomplish the following goals:
- Expand new teacher pipelines into CPS classroom
- Improve Day One Readiness of new teachers
- Ensure equity in students' access to high-quality teachers
- Support teacher recognition, leadership and retention
- Build diversity now for long-term change
The CPS Teacher Residency Program is an accelerated program run in partnership with four universities, that prepares new teachers for successful teaching careers. All participants will earn a Professional Educators' License (PEL), a Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Teaching, and an endorsement in a high-need content area such as Bilingual Education, Special Education, Early Childhood Education or Dance.
The mission of the program is to recruit, prepare and retain a diverse base of culturally competent individuals to successfully teach high-need subjects in underserved communities. Anchoring our approach to this work is a vision of a teacher workforce that reflects the rich diversity of CPS students and communities, and one that is devoid of talent shortages, particularly in the highest-needs schools. We believe that the best talent should go to the highest-needs schools and communities, and we strive for our program to serve as a model for preparing teachers for today and leaders for our next generations of students and teachers.
About the Resident Teacher Role
To support the continued growth and positive trajectory of our students, Resident Teachers are being recruited to fill critical teaching shortage areas including Dance, P.E.,STEM, Theatre, Special Education, Early Childhood Education, and Bilingual Education.
To help fulfill this objective, Resident Teachers will:
- Apply and enroll with one of CPS' preferred university partners to obtain a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Education and Illinois Teacher licensure, dependent upon the specific agreement
- Engage in a training program shadowing an experienced, highly-rated mentor teacher
- Gain experience in classroom management, supporting student's academic growth, using data to differentiate instruction, and building long-term support systems for students
- Accept a full-time lead teaching role in CPS following their Resident Teacher year
- Remain committed to providing all students with access to a high-quality education