The California State University (CSU) received a $500,000 grant to continue its CSU Residency Year Service Scholarship Program. The scholarships will help to lessen student debt for aspiring teachers during these economically challenging times, aiding in the completion of their academic programs and improving new teacher retention. The CSU’s teacher preparation program is the largest in the state and among the largest in the nation, producing more than half of California’s new teachers.
“This prestigious scholarship program is particularly important, as the California State University produces more than 7,500 teacher candidates annually,” says Marquita Grenot-Scheyer, Ph.D., CSU’s Assistant Vice Chancellor of Educator Preparation and Public School Programs. “CSU teacher candidates are highly diverse, with Latinx students making up nearly one-third of candidates. More than two-thirds are Pell Grant recipients, often reflecting a combined family income of $26,000 or less.”
Provided by the Yellow Chair Foundation, the new grant expands on the initial investment by the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, which established the statewide program in 2019. The grant will create 100 service scholarships of $5,000 each for teacher candidates participating in CSU campus residency programs in the 2020-21 academic year. It will augment other sources of student financial aid, such as Pell Grants and Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grants.
The CSU teacher residency program provides candidates an apprenticeship co-teaching alongside an expert mentor teacher during which they receive constructive feedback on in-class instruction. Research has found that high-quality residency program graduates enter their classrooms with more effective skills, outperform teachers who do not participate in residency programs and have lower job turnover than other new teachers.
The residency program partners with high-need California school districts. Eligible candidates will have an interest in working with English learners, earning a bilingual credential, working in urban and/or high-need schools or supporting students with special needs.
To find out more about how the CSU is preparing and supporting California’s future teachers and educators, visit the Teacher and Educator Preparation website.
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About the California State University
The California State University is the largest system of four-year higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, 53,000 faculty and staff and 482,000 students. Half of the CSU’s students transfer from California community colleges. Created in 1960, the mission of the CSU is to provide high-quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of California. With its commitment to quality, opportunity, and student success, the CSU is renowned for superb teaching, innovative research and for producing job-ready graduates. Each year, the CSU awards more than 127,000 degrees. One in every 20 Americans holding a college degree is a graduate of the CSU and our alumni are 3.8 million strong. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU NewsCenter.
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