Teacher Residency Program

The Teacher Residency Program is an intensive training program designed to prepare future teachers to work in School District of Philadelphia classrooms while earning their teaching certification (and often a Master’s degree). All teacher residents work alongside an experienced mentor teacher for a full academic year while taking closely-aligned coursework with one of our residency partners. Residents commit to working as SDP teachers of record for at least three years following their residency year.

The Residency:

  • Trains aspiring educators to teach Math, Science, English Language Arts, Spanish or Special Education in grades 4-12 classrooms
  • Provides a yearlong teacher preparation model
  • Prepares residents for Pennsylvania State Instructional I certification
  • Leverages graduate coursework, which often leads to a Master’s degree

Program Benefits:

  • Salary of $38,611 plus full benefits
  • $7,500 tuition stipend
  • Cohort model
  • One-on-one mentoring
  • Support with job placement within SDP

Program Requirements:

  • Desire to impact kids
  • Bachelor’s degree
  • Passing Praxis
  • Co-enrollment in a partner teacher certification program

Our 2023-24 Residency Partners:

Teacher Resident Testimonials

“I was unhappy in my former career and decided to make a change to teaching. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher.” -Daniela (2020-21 Drexel Teacher Resident)

“The residency program is the pathway into being a classroom teacher.  Working side-by-side with a mentor teacher for a year leads to a gradual increase in responsibilities, perfectly preparing me for leading my own classroom next year.” -Steve (2020-21 Relay Teacher Resident)

“My students are awesome. They are constant reminders to come to class excited to be there…. Students feed off of the energy of the teacher. The teacher sets the culture of the room even virtually!” -Boogie Rose (2020-21 Relay Teacher Resident)

“The support from my university and host school is refining my skills and making me a stronger teacher. I know with the support of the residency program I will be ready to be in a classroom on my own as a standalone teacher.” -Leonel (2020-21 Drexel Teacher Resident)

“In our cohort, our group chat buzzes 24/7 with questions, resources and support. I found that my co-residents have made this experience worthwhile for me even though we are online. They are always there to answer a question or just chat about our day.”-Alexis (2020-21 Temple Teacher Resident)