Bringing student teachers to rural settings

Rural schools have perennial challenges in staffing teacher positions,¹ but bringing in student teachers can help build the rural teacher pipeline.² Several programs found successful strategies to build strong clinical practice experiences in rural settings.

Relay Graduate School of Education 

Relay formerly conducted most clinical practice observations in person, but the pandemic led to a shift to more virtual observations. These virtual observations bring several benefits: they remove the commute for program supervisors and also allow for more frequent observations. The program now requires five to six observations each term, two longer (and higher-stakes) observations, and four short, informal observations. Student teachers typically use their cell phones to record the lesson (the program has found that these recordings provide adequate video and audio quality), and upload their recordings onto Canvas, the program’s learning management system. This system is integrated with a program called Studio, which auto-generates captions and allows both the student teachers and their program supervisors to put comments on the video timeline. The program adjusts their observation approach based on state policies (e.g., some states require a minimum number of in-person observations, a specific cadence of observations, or that video observations be conducted in real time rather than recorded).

Relay also leverages technology to provide training virtually, enabling them to more easily reach student teachers in a range of settings. Clinical practice coursework in the first year of the preparation program includes regular synchronous class meetings, approximately weekly for candidates in Relay’s residency program, giving candidates opportunities to practice skills via a Zoom classroom. This can include “stand and deliver” practice virtually, aligned with what they’re expected to do in the classroom. Relay leaders report, “The virtual classrooms combined with individualized observation feedback also allow Relay faculty to prioritize creating strong relationships and culturally responsive and inclusive environments, which are critical for any educator and in the virtual environment in particular.” These virtual observations, practice, and collaboration opportunities allow for candidates to receive a high level of oversight while being dispersed geographically, including in remote and rural areas.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) 

UNLV intentionally recruits program candidates from current school staff in districts with chronic teacher shortages, which are often in the rural parts of the state. The program found luck offering flexible and virtual training. Many paraprofessionals work during the day, so the program offers asynchronous coursework during the week with “synchronous Saturdays.” Since UNLV partners with districts throughout the state, the program also offers a hybrid (Zoom) option for people outside of Clark County (Las Vegas) to join the Saturday courses. Further, to prevent rural districts feeling like they are afterthoughts or getting the “leftovers of Vegas,” program leadership emphasized relationships with partner districts by visiting every district multiple times a year. These visits help reinforce that the program seeks to address the needs of all partner districts and not just Clark County.

• Read more in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas case study 

Western Governors University (WGU) 

WGU places candidates in over 4,800 districts across the country. They have several strategies that support this widespread placement, which can support clinical placements in rural regions.

• When candidates have an existing relationship with a school district (e.g., they are already working in that district, they have a child who goes to school in that district), WGU prioritizes placing candidates in that district, often with the candidates themselves facilitating the placement process. WGU notes that relying on candidates’ relationships has helped bring more candidates into rural districts.
• Program supervisors conduct frequent observations using the software GoReact, which allows candidates to record their lesson or to share their lesson live with their program supervisor. This means that supervisors can regularly observe lessons without traveling to placement sites. This approach has had the added benefit of allowing candidates to view their lesson recordings, which helps them understand their supervisors’ comments.
• Read more in the Western Governors University case study

Texas 

The state requires that program supervisors conduct at least three informal observations per semester, including providing feedback. While the first observation must be in person, the state allows the remaining informal observations to be virtual, easing the burden for program supervisors whose student teachers are geographically diverse.

• Read more in the Texas case study