Thank You!

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do I need to have an education degree to participate or apply?

  • No–If you want to acquire a Master’s Degree: A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a 2.5 GPA or higher. If you want to acquire a Bachelor’s Degree: An Associate’s degree or at least 42 credits hours from an accredited college or university with a 2.5 GPA or higher. These are the requirements to be considered eligible to apply for the CPS Teacher Residency Program.

• Can I apply to the Teacher Residency Program if I already have a teaching license?

  • Residency applicants can not hold an Illinois state issued teaching license (provisional and substitute licenses, excluded). If you hold a teaching license from a state other than Illinois, you may still be eligible to apply to the CPS Teacher Residency Program. Please contact teacherresidency@cps.edu to see if this program is a good fit for you.

• When does the program begin and end?

  • Each cohort begins in July of every year. The program has a 4-5 year commitment depending upon the degree you are acquiring (Master’s (4) or Bachelor's degree (5)) with two (2) years of Masters-level or Bachelors-level coursework from one of our partner Universities.

  • Master’s Degree Year 1: You are a Resident Teacher where you shadow a mentor teacher and are gradually released into full-time lead teaching while completing your Masters-level coursework. 

  • Master’s Degree Year 2: You are considered a teacher of record and are hired as a full time teacher in your own classroom and move from a provisional license to a PEL and complete your MAT degree.

  • Bachelor’s Degree Year 1: You are required to be hired as a or continue to work as a CPS employed Teacher’s Assistant, Paraprofessional or a Special Education Classroom Assistant while completing your Bachelors-level coursework.

  • Bachelor’s Degree Year 2: You are a Resident Teacher where you shadow a mentor teacher and are gradually released into full-time lead teaching while completing your Bachelors-level coursework.

  • Bachelor’s Degree Year 3: You are considered a teacher of record and are hired as a full time teacher in your own classroom.

  • All Residents commit to teach in Chicago Public Schools for a minimum of two (2) years after completion of the residency program. 

• Must I commit to teaching in a Chicago Public School? For how long?

  • All Residents complete their training and teaching commitments in Chicago Public Schools. All Residents commit to teach in CPS for a minimum of 2 years after completion of the residency program.

• How much is the stipend that Residents receive?

  • Residents receive a $40,000* salary plus benefits during their student teaching year (Year 1). Once hired as a full time teacher (Year 2), Residents begin earning a teacher salary upwards of $62,000 per year.
    * Additional financial details and structures are covered during the interview and enrollment process.

• What does a Resident’s schedule look like?

  • During the summer term Residents are taking coursework Monday through Friday and attending extensive professional development. Residents must be available from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays (excluding holidays). The fall and spring terms are built around the busy schedule of a teacher so coursework is approximately 60% in person and 40% online. The program is full-time and intensive. During the program, Residents are immersed in a combination of graduate level coursework and classroom teaching experience.

• How are Residents matched with mentor teachers?

  • We do our best to match Residents with Mentor teachers in their grade level(s) of interest (and core content, if applicable). When matching Residents with Mentors we consider Residents’ community interests and connections as well, but specific match preferences are not guaranteed. Residents are usually clustered with a small cohort of other Residents at the same host/training school. Mentors are recruited and selected by CPS through principal recommendations, classroom observations by residency program staff, personal interviews and student achievement data.

• In which schools does the CPS Teacher Residency Program place residents?

  • The exact CPS Teacher Residency partner schools vary from year to year and are subject to change. You can learn more about our current and past training sites when speaking with a member of our team or by attending an info session. Residents who are not hired in their training schools are highly recommended for service in CPS Opportunity Schools in their subsequent teaching years.

• If I am currently employed at a CPS school, can I stay at my school as a Resident?

  • In the vast majority of cases, Residents are placed at a training/host schools other than their home school for their resident teaching experience. This is an opportunity for Residents to diversify their classroom experiences and share their home school's brand and culture with their host school--and vice versa. In rare cases, Residents may be matched with a Mentor at their current school if that school is an eligible and participating training site, but those kinds of matches/placements are not guaranteed.

• Do I have to live in Chicago to participate in the CPS Teacher Residency Program?

  • Yes. As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools, Resident Teachers must be an actual resident of the City of Chicago or be willing to become a resident within six months of the date of his/her employment as a Resident Teacher with Chicago Public Schools.

• ~accord

We Look Forward to Connecting!