Who We Are
How We Started
Founded In 2018, Teach St. Louis (formerly St. Louis Teacher Residency) launched to improve teacher quality and retention in St. Louis, a city where 40% of new teachers exit the classroom in their first three years.
When we started this work, we knew that if students had an excellent teacher for five years in a row, achievement gaps would close. To get there, we knew we needed to change the way we prepared teachers for the classroom and supported them once they got there.
So, Teach St. Louis partnered with National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) to develop and launch the first and only teacher residency program in the St. Louis region. Our model focused on training aspiring teachers who were capable of accelerating student achievement from the moment they entered the classroom as a teacher of record.
Our organization was born from the deeply held belief that all students deserve access to an excellent teacher. Today, our programs focus not only on teachers new to the profession, but on teachers and educators at every stage of their career. We have expanded our work and impact, partnering with schools and districts to ensure that more students in St. Louis are taught by a well-prepared, committed, and effective educator.
Our Mission
Our Mission
Today, Teach St. Louis recruits, trains, and supports effective educators who are committed to the region’s public schools. We prepare and develop educators who are capable of accelerating student achievement and meeting the needs of the students and families they serve.
Our Vision
Teach St. Louis serves as a model for high-quality educator preparation and development in the region. Teach St. Louis educators become leaders in their schools and classrooms, expanding opportunity for students in the city of St. Louis.
Our Beliefs
Teach St. Louis works to address educational inequity by ensuring that students in St. Louis have effective teachers. We know that this work is only possible when a diverse group of educators and stakeholders work together, with a shared mission and values. To achieve our shared vision, Teach STL operates with the following values, beliefs and commitments.
Our Values
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We believe in the promise of the students, schools, and communities that we serve. We honor the diversity and lived experiences of our students, staff, and partners and commit to deepening our understanding of identity, bias, and privilege. We act with courage to challenge ourselves and the structures, systems, and assumptions that perpetuate educational inequity.
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In every interaction, our actions align with our beliefs. We mean what we say and work with others in a straightforward and honest way. We treat one another with dignity and respect and take responsibility for our shortcomings and mistakes.
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We believe that all students in St. Louis should have access to effective teachers who are committed to their growth and development. We collect evidence to transparently evaluate our outcomes, and make decisions that allow us to maximize our impact. We know that the day-to-day details matter, but we prioritize work that drives teacher and student success in the long-term.
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We recognize that relationships are at the center of our work. Strong relationships require mutual trust and generosity. We assume the best of others and work alongside our partners with service towards our collective impact. We strive to create communities that sustain and challenge us.
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Hard work is hard. There will always be more to do and ways to do it better. In order to sustain our work, and our mission, we celebrate wins - big and small. We intentionally show gratitude and appreciation for one another (our team, our teachers, and our students), and find opportunities to enjoy our work together as a team.
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We are learners. We approach problem-solving systematically, insisting on data as the background for our decision-making. We make decisions carefully, asking difficult questions, listening, and learning from our past experiences and from one another. We embrace challenges as opportunities for improvement, adapting and working strategically in service of our students, teachers,and community.
Our Impact
Since 2018, Teach St. Louis has supported…
247 Teachers
We’ve trained and supported 247 teachers for our region’s schools.
38,745 Students
Collectively, graduates of our programs have taught 38,745 students.
58 Schools
We’ve partnered with 58 schools and 16 districts throughout the region.
Since our launch, Teach St. Louis has demonstrated that our work significantly impacts schools and students.
Student Achievement & Impact: Overall, Teach St. Louis graduates consistently outperform their peers on state and district assessments. For the past two years, our teachers led their elementary students (on average) to 1.5 years of growth in reading.
Graduate Persistence: 86% of all Teach St. Louis graduates to-date are continuing to work as lead-teachers in a high-needs classroom.
Principal Satisfaction: Overall, 90% of principals report that our teachers are effective when compared to a “typical” first-year teacher and 100% report that they would hire a graduate of STLTR to work at their school.
Where We’re Going
At Teach St. Louis, we are committed to ensuring that our region’s schools are equipped with a well-prepared and effective teaching workforce. To that end, we’ve got big plans. Over the next five years, Teach St. Louis will…
Accelerate student outcomes by developing the instructional capacity of teachers already working in partner schools.
Double the size of our educator preparation programs, offering certification pathways to candidates new to the profession and those already working in classrooms.
Build capacity through deeply embedded partnerships, supporting instructional leaders and principals in the schools where we work.
As we grow, community investment will allow us to prepare more teachers, strengthen school partnerships, and accelerate student outcomes across St. Louis.