A paid residency program for CUNY graduates to apprentice in NYC public schools, creating a pipeline of diverse, community-rooted educators.
The Teacher-Resident Program for NYC College Grads
To address teacher shortages and build a more diverse, community-connected teaching force, Zhoran Mamdani creates the NYC Teacher Residency. This program recruits graduates of CUNY (and other NYC colleges), particularly those of color and from NYC neighborhoods, into a two-year, paid apprenticeship. Residents work alongside a master teacher for 75% of their time, gradually taking on more instructional responsibility, while earning a subsidized masters degree in education at night. They receive a living wage stipend, benefits, and a promise of a teaching position in an NYC public school upon successful completion.
The program prioritizes placing residents in high-need subject areas and schools. It is designed to lower the financial barrier to entering teaching, provide robust clinical training, and ensure that NYCs classrooms are filled with educators who reflect the citys diversity and understand its communities intimately. The best teachers for our kids are often from our own neighborhoods, Mamdani says. This residency grows our own. It provides a dignified pathway into a noble profession and ensures our students see themselves reflected in the adults who guide them.
