UTEP College of Education
Miner Teacher Residency Launch: 2019-2020
Published May 23, 2019
By Erika Mein, Ph.D.
UTEP College of Education
In partnership with US PREP and two local school districts, El Paso ISD and Socorro ISD, the UTEP College of Education is pleased to announce the launch of its one-year teaching residency for undergraduate teacher candidates, called the Miner Teacher Residency, starting in fall 2019. Following a teacher residency model promoted by US PREP and other national organizations, the Miner Teacher Residency is designed to provide a clinically-robust, immersive experience for teacher candidates over the course of an entire year in order to boost their readiness and success as first-year teachers. UTEP is a leading site for implementing this nationally-recognized model with predominantly Latinx teacher candidates trained to serve culturally and linguistically diverse students.
For the pilot implementation in 2019-2020, UTEP worked in collaboration with district partners to select 22 elementary (EC-6) teacher candidates out of 40 applicants. UTEP teacher residents will be placed at two elementary schools: bilingual education residents at Mesita Elementary in EPISD and elementary generalist residents at Purple Heart Elementary in Socorro ISD. Both campuses have served as professional learning sites for UTEP courses for more than four years. For the pilot, Miner Teacher Residents will spend three days/week on-site in fall 2019, and four days/week on-site in spring 2020. During both semesters, UTEP residents will work alongside a fully-trained Mentor Teacher and will have the support of a UTEP Site Coordinator, a clinical faculty member who will be based at the school and who will serve as a liaison between the district and the university.
Benefits of the Miner Teacher Residency to UTEP students include the opportunity for extended, hands-on practice alongside a trained Mentor Teacher; part-time work opportunities offered by partner districts; and priority consideration for full-time employment upon completion. Through the residency, district partners gain the advantage of “growing their own” and the opportunity to hire first-year teachers who have been mentored, coached, and supported during an entire year of apprenticeship. Both UTEP and district partners benefit from extensive communication, collaboration, and data-sharing that is embedded in the residency model, particularly through the role of the UTEP Site Coordinator.
Please join us in congratulating our inaugural class of Miner Teacher Residents, and in wishing them the very best during their residency year!
Miner Teacher Residents:
Paulina Barroeta
Bryn Birdwell
Cierra Fernandez
Erika Garcia
Jacqueline Gonzales
Josie Gonzales
Edna Gonzalez
Valeria Herbert
Muriel Holguin
Karla Huerta
Cindy Kolasa
Marisela Miranda
Lizzeth Nevarez
David Nichols
Nancy Padilla
Carolina Perez
Janet Quiroz
Hannia Rodarte
Carolina Rojas
Sofia Rojas
Beatriz Romero
Maria Saucedo