Ready to take the next step?

A: No. The Propel Teacher Residency program has several tracks to fit your needs. 

Apprenticeship Track: Suitable for individuals with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a 3.0 GPA or higher seeking teacher certification.

Support Professional to Teach Track: This track is ideal for those looking to earn a bachelor’s degree and teacher certification. It requires an associate degree or at least 42 credit hours from an accredited college or university and a 2.5 GPA or higher.

A: Residency applicants cannot hold a Pennsylvania teaching license (provisional and substitute licenses are excluded). If you have a teaching license from a state other than Pennsylvania, you may still be eligible to apply to the Propel Teacher Residency Program. Please email erinsandoval@propelschools.org  to see if this program fits you well.

A: Cohorts begin in July of each year. Depending on the degree you acquire, the program requires a 4—to 6-year commitment.  

Apprenticeship Track 

Year 1: You are a Resident Teacher, shadowing a Mentor Teacher and gradually being released into full-time lead teaching while completing graduate-level coursework. 

Year 2: You are considered a Teacher of Record, hired as a full-time Teacher in your own classroom, and move from a provisional license to a PA Level 1 license.  

Support Professional To Teach 

Year 1: You are required to be hired or continue to work as a Propel-employed Paraprofessional, Literary Instructional Specialist, or Scholar Support Specialist while completing your bachelor-level coursework.

Year 2: You are required to be hired or continue to work as a Propel-employed Paraprofessional, Literary Instructional Specialist,  or Scholar Support Specialist while completing your bachelor-level coursework. You attend all Residency Professional Learning sessions throughout the week and begin studying for your certification exams.

Year 3: You are a Resident Teacher where you shadow a Mentor Teacher and are gradually released into full-time lead teaching while completing your student mentorship university obligations. You also complete your certification exams.  

Year 4: You are considered a Teacher of Record and are hired as a full-time Teacher in your own classroom.   

A: All Residents complete their training and teaching commitments in Propel Schools. All Residents commit to teach for a minimum of 3 years after completion of the residency program.

A: Yes. All residents are paid during their residency year. The pay structure depends on the track:

• Apprenticeship Track: Residents receive a stipend of $2,000 per month throughout their residency year. Upon entering their first teaching year, they begin on Propel’s starting teacher salary scale.

• Support to Teach Track: Residents continue to receive their current wages as Propel Schools employees.

• Accelerated Track: Residents remain on their current salaried pay during the residency year.

A: The program is full-time and intensive. Residents are immersed in a combination of graduate-level coursework and classroom teaching experience. Residents attend a Summer Intensive in late July and Immersion Week in early August during the summer term. They attend all Propel network-wide Professional Learning sessions throughout the school year. Residents must be available during school hours (either 7:45 a.m.-3:45 p.m. or 7:15 a.m.-3:15 p.m. based on assigned school) Mondays through Fridays, excluding holidays. The fall and spring terms are built around the busy schedule of a teacher, so university coursework is 100% online. There are also weekly in-person Professional Learning sessions led by the PTRP Team. Residents have one day a week dedicated to study.  

A: We do our best to match Residents with Mentor Teachers in their grade level(s) of interest and core content. When matching Residents with Mentors, we consider Residents’ community interests and connections. Specific match preferences are not guaranteed. Residents are usually grouped with a small cohort of other Residents at the same school. Mentors are recruited and selected by Propel through principal recommendations, classroom observations by residency program staff, personal interviews, and scholar achievement data.

A: Residents are placed in all 13 Propel Schools.  Placement decisions are primarily determined by need. 

A: In most cases, Residents already employed by Propel are placed at a school other than their home school for their resident teaching experience. This is an opportunity for Residents to diversify their classroom experiences and share their home school's culture with their host school — and vice versa. In rare cases, Residents may be matched with a Mentor Teacher at their current school if that school is an eligible and participating training site. These kinds of matches are not guaranteed.

The link to the Application will be available on January 5, 2026.

Step 1: Complete the program Interest Form below. 

Step 2: Supply unofficial transcripts when requested

 Step 3: Interview with residency staff 

  Throughout the process, email your questions to erinsandoval@propelschools.org.

• Elementary Education, Grades Pre-K-4
• Special Education, Grades Pre-K-12
• Chemistry 7-12
• Biology 7-12
• Mathematics 7-12
• English Language Arts 7-12
• Social Studies 7-12
• General Science 7-12