Teacher Residency Program at the “Crossroads of Texas”

Located at the literal and figurative crossroads of Texas, Hearne Independent School District (Hearne ISD) and its leadership are faced with the choice to either continue their yearlong teacher residency program (TRP) for novice teachers or suspend it altogether. To aid in their decision-making process, the authors ask: Is the yearlong TRP implemented by Hearne ISD worth the investment? First, in applying the human capital theory, this article ties tangible (financial) and intangible (non-financial) investments and returns for teachers to talent development. Next, a quick review of the related literature supports the discussion and buttresses this paper's return-on-investment (ROI) investigation. Third, a qualitative case study methodology leverages a unique district-level data set and allows an examination of the net return relative to the overall cost of Hearne ISD's investment of its TRP. Finally, a more nuanced understanding of Hearne ISD's specific investments and returns for a resident teacher candidate, compared to a non-resident teacher candidate, simultaneously surfaces alongside an ROI model for TRPs. Consequently, two emergent findings, folded into a discussion on teacher residency-ROI and rural school leadership, are presented herein.