FY24- FY27 STRATEGIC PLAN
EXECUTIVE SUMMMARY
City Teaching Alliance (formerly Urban Teachers) envisions a United States where every student is taught by dedicated, culturally responsive, high quality teachers. Currently, the preparation and certification of public school teachers consist of a maze of pathways, often lacking rigor and proximity to the actual teaching environment. This leads to uneven teacher quality and quantity across classrooms, particularly affecting high-poverty, urban, schools. These inadequately prepared teachers are more likely to leave the profession, causing negative academic effects. In response, City Teaching Alliance emphasizes rigor, cultural responsiveness, personalized support, and community immersion for our teachers to better serve students
KEY RESULTS AND LESSONS TO DATE
Since our inception in 2010, City Teaching Alliance has made significant strides in transforming education by implementing our urban teacher development program. With an initial cohort of fewer than 40 aspiring educators, our network now includes nearly 1,400 teachers, inclusive of those currently in our program and a vast alumni network, who have collectively impacted over 350,000 students across approximately 350 schools. Through a comprehensive approach that includes strategic recruitment, clinical residencies, intensive coaching, local support teams , and rigorous evaluation, we’ve cultivated well-prepared, diverse educators who have shown positive impacts on student achievement and well-being. Looking forward, we aim to continue refining and expanding our approach to meet the promise of our mission and vision while responding to evolving challenges and opportunities in education
THEORY OF CHANGE
Our Theory of Change at City Teaching Alliance underscores our mission to transform outcomes for two key groups: underserved children and teachers in under-resourced urban schools. By prioritizing teacher support and preparation, including community-embedded induction and student-centric learning, we aim to increase effective and culturally responsive educators, subsequently improving educational and life outcomes for students Desired outcomes include increased Black and Latinx teacher recruitment and retention, effective culturally responsive teaching, career educators' commitment, and accelerated student achievement
Specifically, we aspire to:
Recruit and welcome at least 1400 new, diverse, aspiring teachers into our program over the course of this 4-year strategic plan
Grow to reach at least 500 total aspiring teachers enrolling in our flagship program annually by 2027
Continue to increase the number of Black and Latinx aspiring teachers we welcome into our program to better reflect the student populations in each of our city partners
THE PATH FORWARD: THREE UNIFYING PRIORITES
PRINCIPLE 1: DEEPEN PROGRAM FOCUS
PRINCIPLE 3: EXTEND ORGANIZATIONAL REACH
Maximize new teacher candidate matriculation and persistence:
We have plans to enhance recruitment efforts, support new teachers' financial
Despite labor market challenges and a decline in applications City Teaching Alliance is committed to strengthening our core program elements and development and mental well-being, and foster alumni engagement.
Increase investment in host teachers:
We recognize the crucial role of host teachers and plan to invest in their selection, compensation, and professional growth to improve resident satisfaction and development
Mobilize a cross-site secondary math cohort: In response to the pressing need for effective mathematics instruction and a shortage of math teachers, we intend to launch a cross-site secondary math cohort
PRINCIPLE 2: ELEVATE TEACHER VOICE
We believe addressing teacher needs, particularly in the areas of mental health and wellness, as well as access and affordability is critical to our impact
Prioritize Mental Health and Wellness:
We plan to provide timely, accessible, and needs-aligned support, recognizing that investing in teacher mental health can lead to longer-lasting careers, improved instructional effectiveness, and stronger community engagement.
Enhance Access and Affordability:
We aim to streamline financial resources and services, creating a more personalized fiscal journey that starts during recruitment and continues through the residency year and beyond.
Our educators directly actualize our mission, vision, and values in our schools and communities; we have only just begun to tap into the power of this growing network.
Support a Life-Long Educator Journey:
We will provide a seamless and responsive fouryear teacher development pathway, focusing on resident, fellow, senior fellow, and alum years, while emphasizing mentorship, community engagement, and ongoing professional support for educators
Launch a new Initiative as part of recruiting a diverse cohort of teachers: The La Comunidad initiative will help address the underrepresentation of Latinx teachers and provide more students with a teacher that reflects their identity.
Expand Transformative Social-Emotional Learning (T-SEL):
We plan to transform this pilot initiative into a distinct programmatic offering that sits both within our existing flagship program and as a separate stand-alone professional development series
LOOKING AHEAD
The City Teaching Alliance is dedicated to enhancing our communities through an ambitious yet attainable strategic plan, shaped by diverse input, including alumni and current educators' insights. While exploring expansion opportunities, we remain steadfast in serving our current four city partners and upholding our existing programs
By intensifying our programmatic focus, amplifying teacher input, and expanding our reach, we are prepared to address the post-COVID challenges and advance our mission of educational transformation, social impact, and equitable teaching practices, leaving a lasting legacy.
