Developing and sustaining an equity-driven teacher residency model in an anti-DEI policy climate

Purpose Residencies, defined as year-long internship experiences for prospective teachers with embedded coaching and mentoring opportunities, hold promise as pathways that can reduce longstanding racial and cultural inequities in K-12 education systems. Design/methodology/approach While case studies of successful residency programs exist, the literature is missing narratives of university leadership and faculty designing the institutional changes required for creating and sustaining these community-engaged partnerships. This narrative inquiry study, which relied on a theoretical framework of boundary spanning, involved two faculty members exploring the history of one residency program in which they both work. Findings Findings indicate that this residency program was shaped by directly challenging the pretense of faculty who claim to hold commitments to equity but do not enact community-engaged work that could lead to more equitable outcomes for students. Moreover, findings show that ongoing intensity of interest in teacher preparation on the part of leadership, clarity of focus, and celebration of evidence-based progress were key facets of support. Originality/value Reflection on these narratives reveals how higher education norms can be reconfigured to support residency programs.