Publications
Publications
- September 2008 (Revised August 2010)
- HBS Case Collection
Boston Teacher Residency: Developing a Strategy for Long-term Impact
By: Stacey M. Childress, Geoff Eckman Marietta and Sara Suchman
Abstract
In June 2008, Jesse Solomon, the founding director of the Boston Teacher Residency (BTR), faced an important decision about the organization's strategic direction. Since its founding in 2003, 125 of its graduates had joined the Boston Public Schools (BPS) and BTR had established a reputation as a provider of some of the district's best-prepared new teachers. Yet Solomon wondered if their approach so far was optimal going forward. Carol Johnson, the new superintendent for BPS, was developing a district-wide improvement strategy that prioritized accelerating the performance of the district's lowest performing schools. But, relatively few BTR graduates joined these schools—they were free to pursue teaching openings at any school in the district. Solomon knew the potential to partner more closely with the new superintendent was a time-sensitive opportunity with a number of questions. What were the implications of moving from an open hiring market to the placement of cohorts of BTR graduates in high-priority schools? Was BTR's model sufficient to prepare new teachers to join struggling schools in the absence of a comprehensive turnaround strategy? How could BTR continue to strengthen the quality of its program while supporting the new superintendent's priorities?
Keywords
Restructuring; Teaching; Entrepreneurship; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Performance Improvement; Business Strategy; Education Industry; Boston
Citation
Childress, Stacey M., Geoff Eckman Marietta, and Sara Suchman. "Boston Teacher Residency: Developing a Strategy for Long-term Impact." Harvard Business School Case 309-043, September 2008. (Revised August 2010.)