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Who Should Apply?

  • Individuals seeking to become transformational early childhood, elementary, and grade 7-12 teachers in the city of Buffalo
  • College seniors and recent graduates with a background in the content area they intend to teach
  • Professionals interested in making a career change to classroom teaching

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for our urban teacher residency cohort, you must:

  1. Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, conferred before June 1 of the year you begin the program
  2. Have a background (generally 30 undergraduate credits) in one of these content areas:
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Earth Science
  • English
  • French
  • History
  • Linguistics
  • Mathematics
  • Music
  • Physics
  • Social Science (anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, philosophy or sociology)
  • Spanish

See eligibility requirements for all content and certification areas

  1. Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or already possess eligibility to work legally in the U.S.
  2. Not have completed a teacher preparation program or ever have held a license to teach

Process Overview

  1. Submit an application form with essays (see essay topics)
  2. Provide contact information for two references who will each complete a recommendation
  3. Submit your academic transcript
  4. Attend an in-person selection day with interview and other activities
  5. Receive notification of selection
  6. Provide notice of commitment with signature
  7. Complete pre-residency activities (UB GSE application, New York State Fingerprint Clearance for authorization to work in schools, certification workshops, content exam, etc.)
  8. Begin graduate coursework and participate in the UB Teacher Residency Summer Institute
  9. Begin residency in a Buffalo Public School

Essay Topics

You will need to submit two written essays (500 to 700 words each) with your application. The essay topics are included below to help you prepare.

  1. Essay Topic 1
    • Describe your interest and/or experiences within urban education. Describe the professional, personal and educational journey that has led you to apply for the urban teacher residency program. Then, explain why you believe this program aligns with your background and professional goals.
  2. Essay Topic 2
    • More than 31,000 children attend Buffalo Public Schools. Of these children, 80% identify as students of color. Additionally, more than 80% of students are economically disadvantaged and 22% are identified as having a disability.
    • Reflect on the qualities you believe are important for successful engagement with diverse communities and student populations. In what ways do(es) your own identity and/or background experiences, particularly experiences with people who have backgrounds and experiences that are in some ways different from your own (i.e. socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, sexual orientation, ability, etc.), prepare you to teach in urban classrooms?
Application Deadline

Applications will be reviewed in late September and early November, with the possibility of late January, if the cohort is not full. For this upcoming cycle, applications should be submitted by:

• Oct. 1  (priority deadline for those seeking to be considered for additional tuition support)
• Nov. 4
• Dec. 16
• Jan. 27  (applications will only be reviewed if the cohort is not yet full)

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Are you a reference for an applicant?

If you were listed as a reference for a teacher residency applicant, please use our recommendation form which will walk you through the information we need to collect.

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