The Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) recently hosted its annual AUSL Teacher Residency Job Fair at National Teachers Academy in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood. Resident teachers from the Class of 2025 met with school administrators, leaders, and educators from 20 schools across Chicago to explore open positions for the upcoming school year.
The AUSL Teacher Residency Job Fair serves as a professional development opportunity for resident teachers to network with school administrators and leaders before they officially begin their careers to search and interview for open positions in high-need opportunity schools throughout Chicago.
Meeting and connecting with multiple schools to fill teacher vacancies allows resident teachers to better understand the professional environment they are entering as they begin to envision themselves as educators in Chicago.
AUSL alumni also attended, representing their schools and looking for passionate new teachers to join their teams.
“As an alumni, I know the hands-on support resident teachers have during the program. The experience puts you ahead of the game,” said Ashley Goss, Curriculum and Instructional Coach at Herzl School of Excellence from the Chicago Teacher Residency Class of 2010.
“With events like the AUSL Teacher Residency Job Fair, we’re hoping to find candidates to join and belong in our school community. Resident teachers have such a unique experience compared to traditional college graduates with the amount of experience they bring on their very first day of teaching.”
High-need CPS schools expressed strong interest in AUSL Teacher Residency graduates, valuing their experience, passion, and unique perspective they bring from their rigorous, year-long residency training.
“The value an AUSL Teacher Residency graduate brings to a school community is their knowledge of building relationships with students. Sometimes teachers in training get so caught in the schooling of becoming a successful teacher that they lack experience of having those valuable and insightful learning experiences with students,” said Dr. April Price, Resident Principal at Sherman School of Excellence in Englewood.
Priscilla Nguyen, a current resident teacher training at the National Teachers Academy, shared that building a strong professional network has been the most valuable part of her residency experience.
“I’m looking forward to building on the strong connections I’ve made and calling back on my mentor, co-resident teacher, and other resident teachers in my cohort because they are my support system and I trust them to be excellent educators.”
Just as school leaders have criteria when hiring, resident teachers are also thoughtful about what they’re looking for in the school communities they want to join.
“I’m looking for a school that is community-centered and a school that provides restorative conversations for students that treats their staff like family,” said Lizeth Larios-Leon, current resident teacher at Chicago Academy High School.
“I would like to work at a school that values its staff and has a history of cooperation and collaboration with the community so everyone has an understanding of their purpose,” said Jose Chow, current resident teacher at Picollo School of Excellence.
As resident teachers conclude their final stages of the program and approach graduation in May, they are preparing for the next phase in their educational journeys to launch their careers.
Events like the AUSL Teacher Residency Job Fair support resident teachers in their job search and grow their professional network. School administrators and leaders have the opportunity to directly search and secure a competitive and experienced resident teacher to join their school community.
Today, AUSL Teacher Residency alumni are leading classrooms across Chicago – teachers from our last three graduating classes are working in schools in 44 Chicago communities. Start your journey by applying to the AUSL Teacher Residency today!
