Madrona’s Moore speaks to D.C. committee

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Rachelle Moore, a first-grade teacher at Madrona K-8 School (1121 33rd Ave.), participated in a congressional briefing in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 7 to highlight the role residency programs play in combating trends of increased turnover and declining teacher retention in urban school districts.

Moore served as a representative of the Seattle Teacher Residency (STR) program; she is a mentor.

Eighty-five percent of residency graduates stay beyond those first three years, reporting that they feel prepared and ready after working in the school under the guidance of a mentor teacher and staff, according to the program. About 50 percent of traditionally trained teachers leave the profession after five years, with much higher turnover rates in urban schools, according to the program.

STR graduated its first cohort of residents in 2013. All 23 graduates were hired at Title I schools in Seattle Public Schools.