In April, Chief of Human Resources Eddie Curran said the district has not yet landed on a number, but is working to expand the program to greater numbers and potentially more campuses.
What you need to know
The RRock residency program will conclude its first year with the end of the 2024-25 school year in May. The program paired seven residents from Texas State University and Concordia University with master teachers at C.D. Fulkes Middle School, where they received hands-on classroom teaching experience.
Curran said the district has already signed contracts with six of the seven to teach in the district in the 2025-26 school year, with the seventh unable to sign on due to moving out of state.
What they're saying
"I believe strongly that what this has done is that it brings those residents into our culture a lot earlier than they would typically as a brand new teacher," Curran said. "They're actually learning the systems in Round Rock ISD."
About the program
RRISD launched its teacher residency program in June 2024, creating an opportunity for college students to gain in-classroom experience similar to a student teaching role. However, teacher residents are paid a full-time salary and provided benefits, unlike student teachers.
Teacher residents spend four days of the school week in the classroom with a master level teacher, and the fifth day is for attending classes at partner universities, Curran said.
He said the inaugural year of the program was so successful that the district is exploring ways to bring it to other campuses and expand the number of positions available.
Did you know?
The teacher residency program is just one of several ways the district is working to address the ongoing shortage of teachers and retain staff, Curran said. The district also offers:
- RRock Teach: Provides a pathway for employees who have a bachelor's degree but are not certified to teach to receive alternative certification. RRISD began with 25 teachers and has since expanded the program to more than 100 across the district.
- RRock International: As a visiting international educator program, RRISD staffs teachers mostly in bilingual and special education positions through J-1 visas to meet different staffing needs in the district. Educators are sponsored by outside cultural exchange entities, as the district is not an H-1B visa sponsor.
