PACIFIC OAKS COLLEGE ANNOUNCES NEW STUDENT RESIDENCY PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SACRAMENTO COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION TO EXPAND POOL OF QUALIFIED K-12 TEACHERS

Three-year partnership creates an annual pipeline of new teachers for Sacramento County School Districts, helping to address the ongoing teacher shortage in California

PASADENA, Calif., Sept. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Oaks College has announced a new partnership with the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE). This collaboration aims to bolster teacher credentialing and create a pathway for generating new public and charter school teachers in Sacramento County, with a target of up to 150 teachers over the next three years.

Applicants are being selected to participate in the program based on high priority needs in school districts throughout the county. Selected students will enter an 18-month-long tuition-free residency program at Pacific Oaks College where they will shadow a current teacher at a public or charter school in Sacramento County for a full academic year. At the end of the program, each graduate will be offered a three-year employment contract to work full-time at that same school.

"This innovative program will provide our students with the skills and hands-on classroom experience they need to excel as career educators," said Dr. Jack Paduntin, president of Pacific Oaks. "We hope this program will serve as a model for other districts and county offices around the state who are looking to fill much-needed gaps, particularly in special education."

The partnership is being funded by the California Department of Education's state residency grant program, which received $250 million in funding for the 2022-23 fiscal year to help fill teacher vacancies across the state. The residency program is expected to create lasting change for school districts in Sacramento, as a report by the National Center for Teacher Residencies found that 89 percent of graduates of teacher residency programs remain in the profession for at least three years.

"We were very impressed with the quality of Pacific Oaks' curriculum as well as their emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion training," said Dr. Steve Winlock, Executive Director of the Sacramento County Office of Education, School of Education. "We partnered closely with school districts to ensure the program will help fill the biggest needs for our schools."

Having been one of the first institutions to provide Head Start training in 1964, Pacific Oaks has a long history of educating the next generation of California teachers with training programs that emphasize learning-through-play and an anti-bias curriculum that is often required reading in early childhood teacher training courses.

WestEd, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, reports roughly 30% of teacher residents experience food or housing insecurity during their year of residency and about half experience an inability to pay their bills. The new partnership and accompanying grant will help address this need by covering tuition costs for students. The program welcomed its first class in August 2023.

Those interested in learning more about cohort partnership opportunities with Pacific Oaks are encouraged to contact the Associate Vice President of Admissions, Nubian London at [email protected].

About Pacific Oaks College & Children's School 
Founded in 1945, Pacific Oaks College & Children's School is composed of two educational entities. Pacific Oaks College is a nonprofit, regionally accredited higher education institution offering bachelor's and master's programs in human development, marriage and family therapy, education, early childhood education, teacher preparation, social work, community psychology, business administration, and organizational leadership and management. Pacific Oaks Children's School provides nonprofit early childhood education programs for children ages 6 months through 5 years and has pioneered achievements in the areas of anti-bias education, emergent curriculum, and peaceful conflict resolution. 

SOURCE Pacific Oaks College & Children's School