The newest graduates from the District Partner Teacher Residency Program (DPTR), a collaborative initiative to prepare and retain educators in New Mexico, are settling into classrooms throughout the state after celebrating their spring graduation.

The 66 graduates of the 2023-2024 cohort are leading classrooms and teaching across New Mexico in 14 school districts and charter schools. In a panel discussion facilitated by the Thornburg Foundation's Michael Weinberg, the spring graduates credit the program for providing high-quality mentorship, financial support, and hands-on teaching experience, with many sharing personal stories of how the program shaped their dreams to become educators.

Spring 2024 teacher residents, such as Nolan Dominguez, who teaches 10th, 11th, and 12th grade Special Education at Atrisco Heritage Academy High School, and Delphine Brown, who teaches third grade in the Gallup-McKinley County Schools, shared their gratitude for their mentors. "My co-teacher let me blossom and fail [while] reflecting on those experiences," Dominguez said. Brown, who regularly made the five-hour round trip from the Four Corners to Albuquerque as a teacher-resident, noted the DPTR gave her confidence to fulfill her dream to learn and go home."

The College of Education and Human Sciences (COEHS) teacher residency program, with the support of the State of New Mexico, aims to build a long-term teacher pipeline by investing in financial stipends, mentorship, and wraparound support for teacher residents. Residents like Kira Murphy, who teaches English at Jackson Middle School, expressed how the $35,000 stipend made her journey to becoming a licensed educator possible: "New Mexico really gets it and is putting their money where their mouth is," she said.

"[DPTR] is not just a pipeline program; we're investing in time and doing it right," said State Representative and Atrisco Heritage principal Andrés Romero, who emphasized the importance of investing in long-term solutions to New Mexico's teacher shortage.

Looking ahead, the residency program will introduce a principal residency program this fall, thanks to funding from the New Mexico Legislature. Marjori Krebs, professor and director of Licensure, shared that the DPTR program's success has received national attention, with states like Washington, Connecticut, and Texas studying New Mexico's model. The program additionally received the Billy G. Dixon Distinguished Program in Teacher Education in partnership with Albuquerque Public Schools and the Albuquerque Teachers Federation in 2022.

With the next generation of educators entering classrooms, APS Deputy Superintendent of Leadership and Learning Antonio Gonzales highlighted the program's broader vision: "We're fostering the future of education by thinking big and [being] innovative."

The District Teacher Residency Program will begin accepting applications for the 2025-2026 residency year on Oct. 15.