Conclusion

As more states and school districts look to increase the racial and linguistic diversity of their teacher workforce and stem chronic teacher shortages, the need for multiple pathways into the profession will continue to persist. Grow Your Own programs, such as the bilingual residency program in Chicago, are one promising approach to help solve this challenge. From the district’s perspective, investing in its own employees is a smart bet since they already know the myriad benefits and challenges of working in Chicago schools. And while it is too early to analyze program outcomes, research suggests that teachers who are cultivated from local schools and the local community often have high rates of retention in the profession, a promising trend given the disproportionate rates of attrition among teachers of color.¹

Chicago Public Schools provides one example of how districts can work with local educator preparation programs to design pathways into teaching that are designed to both meet the unique needs of the district and to provide bilingual teacher candidates with wraparound supports to help them persist and succeed in their professional goals.