Collaboration and Reflection to Enhance Atlanta Teacher Effectiveness (CREATE) Teacher Residency Program

CREATE is a three-year teacher residency program for preservice teachers completing their credential at Georgia State University College of Education and Human Development (GSU CEHD). The program targets teachers who will work in high-needs schools in Atlanta Public Schools. During Year 1 (preservice teaching year), residents complete their student-teaching practicum with a Cooperating Teacher in local schools. In Year 2 (first year as teacher of record), most residents are paired with another CREATE teacher in a single classroom. In Year 3 (second year as teacher of record), residents become the sole teacher of record in their own classroom. Throughout all three years, residents receive support through Together Time meetings focused on Critical Friendship and Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT), access to mentor teachers, and the CREATE program team. Between Years 1 and 2, residents participate in the Summer Resident Academy (SRA) to develop social emotional competencies, pedagogical skills, content knowledge, and confidence. CREATE has evolved to incorporate equity-centered practices to develop critically-conscious, compassionate, and skilled educators committed to teaching practices that prioritize racial justice and interrupt inequities.