KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Teacher Residency (KCTR), an organization that works to recruit, prepare, place and retain teachers in the Kansas City area, has received a $5 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
KCTR says the funding will support the organization's ongoing work, future security and will help the group cultivate more diverse teachers in the community. KCTR President and CEO Charles King says the group will be able to expand its current programs and innovate its practices thanks to the donation.
“We are so thankful for this transformative gift," King said in a statement. “Teacher recruitment and retention continues to be a challenge across the country. With this gift, KCTR will be positioned to meet the needs within our current network of school partners, and can broaden to work with more school systems in the Kansas City metro and beyond."
The organization says creating an equitable education system is part of its mission, as over 50% of its participants for the 2022-23 school year are people of color.
Those involved in the residency model undergo a certification and training program, which lasts one year. Afterwards, participants commit to teaching three years in one of the organization's partner schools. In total, over 200 teachers have joined 86 Kansas City area schools as fully certified teachers since the program first launched in 2016.
