Going Back to the K-12 Classroom: Tenured Faculty Serving as Preservice Teacher Supervisors in a Yearlong Residency Program

Teacher preparation programs have sought to strengthen university and K-12 partnerships and bridge the theory-practice divide by creating year-long residencies (YLR). The role of tenured faculty in these residencies, as it relates to field supervision is largely unexplored. This qualitative case study examined how tenured faculty experienced the supervisory role within a YLR program. Semi-structured interviews with 10 faculty members were analyzed thematically. Findings suggest that there were positive outcomes for tenured faculty engaged in a site coordinator role including having a better understanding of K-12 classrooms and being able to enact a stronger theory to practice connection in university classrooms. Tenured faculty noted several challenges related to this supervisory role such tensions between research expectations at the university and. In order to engage tenured faculty in field supervision, institutions must value this work within reward systems and workload adjustments.