Oswego School District 308 Receives $200K Grant For Teacher Residency Program

OSWEGO, IL — Oswego Community Unit School District 308 was awarded a $200,000 grant to support continued mentoring and development within the district's teacher residency program.

The Boundless Educators Initiative grant from the National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) builds on the $75,000 the district received last year for its NxtGEN Teacher Residency Program.

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"This year's larger investment will continue that momentum, funding resident scholarships and stipends, childcare support, mentor teacher stipends, adjunct professor pay, and ongoing coaching and professional learning for residents and mentors," Chief Communications Officer Theresa Komitas wrote in a news release.

The NxtGEN Teacher Residency Program is a grow-your-own educator preparation model developed in partnership with Aurora University. It provides aspiring teachers with a full year of hands-on experience alongside accomplished mentor teachers while they complete certification coursework.

District officials said the program plays a "critical role" in addressing challenges in teacher recruitment and retention.

"While more than 53% of SD 308 students come from diverse cultural, linguistic, and community backgrounds, only 5.8% of district educators currently reflect that same diversity," Komitas wrote. "By reducing financial and logistical barriers to entering the profession, NxtGEN opens pathways for multilingual individuals, first-generation college students, career changers, and candidates pursuing high-need licensure areas such as Special Education and English as a Second Language."

District 308 was also among the few selected to host an NCTR Residency Design Academy site visit in October. The visit will bring residency leaders from across the country to Oswego to see the district's partnerships with educators and higher education institutions. To put on the event, the district is eligible to receive up to an additional $20,000 from NCTR.

"This grant allows us to keep removing the obstacles that too often stand between talented, community-connected individuals and a career in teaching," Superintendent Andalib Khelghati said in a statement. "Every dollar of this investment goes directly toward preparing educators who understand our students and are committed to staying in our schools."