How Is Bridgeport Preparing Tomorrow’s Educators Today?

In this episode of The Voice of the District, Bridgeport Public Schools highlights its partnership with Sacred Heart University through the Teacher Residency Program.

This conversation focuses on how the district is building a stronger, more sustainable pipeline of educators by connecting preparation directly to the realities of the classroom. Through this collaboration, future teachers gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and the support needed to succeed in Bridgeport schools from day one.

Joining the discussion are Dr. René Roselle, who leads teacher preparation and the residency program at Sacred Heart University, and Michael Brosnan, Teacher Coordinator and District TEAM Facilitator for Bridgeport Public Schools. Together, they share insight on the vision behind the partnership, its impact on residents and school communities, and what’s ahead.

This episode underscores a simple truth: investing in educators is an investment in students.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the Voice of the District, where Bridgeport Public Schools shares the work, partnerships, and priorities shaping opportunity for our students and schools. Today's episode highlights an important collaboration between Bridgeport Public Schools and Sacred Heart University Teacher Residency Program. The partnership reflects our shared commitment to strengthening educator preparation, supporting our schools, and ensuring students are taught by educators who are ready for the realities of today's classrooms. By investing in sustainable teacher pipelines, we are investing in long-term success for our students and our district. So we are incredibly grateful for our partners at Sacred Heart University and to the mentor teachers, residents, and leaders who make this work possible. So joining us today are two leaders deeply connected to this partnership, and we're excited to welcome Dr. Renee Rosel, Professor and Director for the Teachers at Heart Residency Program at Sacred Heart University. And we're also joined by Michael Brosnan, Development and Partnership Coordinator for Bridgeport Public Schools, who supports new educators across the district and helps connect preparation programs to the district's needs. So thank you both for being here today. Thank you. Thanks for having us. Absolutely. We are excited to learn more about the teacher residency program. We're excited to learn more about you and your work and about some of the exciting new opportunities for our future teachers and leaders here in Bridgeport Public Schools. So to start, whoever wants to go first, can you just briefly describe your roles, how the work connects, and how your work connects through the teacher residency program here in Bridgeport Public Schools?

SPEAKER_03 1:49

So hi, I'm Renee, and I came to Sacred Heart University in 2019 with the charge of revitalizing the partnership that Sacred Heart University had with Bridgeport Public Schools. It had waned, and we were given the opportunity to co-design a residency-based teacher preparation program where we partnered with the National Center for Teacher Residencies for several years and designed a dream program, really, that um we are now recruiting for cohort seven. So we have several successful cohorts behind our belt and um really just continuing to do the work on a day-to-day basis with my partner here, Michael Brosnan. Amazing. Thank you, Renee. Michael?

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Thanks, Carly. Thank you, Renee. Um I I've been sort of in the advocacy space around uh preparing teachers for the modern classrooms for a couple years and supporting mentors as well. And when in 2019 I had the opportunity to meet uh Renee, we did really we were kind of given the charge of creating like a dream program. I worked with a lot of student teachers when in my time at Harding, and one of the things I always wished for was that we had more time so that they could develop longer than the kind of typical student teacher placement. So when Renee and I had the opportunity to partner and design something that would really afford teacher candidates the full development over the entire arc of a school year, it really was like a dream come true. Challenging times. Like we launched our first cohort in 2020, the fall of 2020. So it was not not exactly the smoothest school year, um, but it was it was more successful, I think, than we even dreamed it would be.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

That's great. That's great. So this is seven years in.

SPEAKER_03 3:51

Seven years? Yeah, because we had a we had a design year. Okay, and then we've had six cohorts we're we're recruiting. We actually just completed our recruitment for our seventh cohort. So um another amazing group of people willing to commit themselves to a year of preparation through this program. And then what makes this program really special is the program has a commitment to the district to serve for at least three years. But as we know, many people fall in love with the district and then choose to stay for a lot longer than three years. And I think one of our goals in the program, a long-term goal, is to prepare really highly qualified and effective teachers, but also future mentors, future administrators, people who are gonna lead the district after serving in it. So it's kind of like a home grow program, a little bit of a an iteration of that. And it's been a delightful experience to watch so many cohorts come through and impact the schools.

SPEAKER_02 4:52

That's amazing. So curious to know. So you you you know, you were gonna develop this dream plan program, and that was seven years ago. So have have things changed? Has your vision changed? Is this the dream program that you had originally thought of, or have you had to make any changes or pivots from that starting point?

SPEAKER_01 5:11

I think that's a great question, Carly. And the I think the vision when when we started this program was that we wanted great Bridgeport teachers. Um, and that vision hasn't changed. Um, and part of that is the commitment of Sacred Heart and Bridgeport Public Schools to not waver from it. Um, there have been challenges that we've met over the past seven years, but or that we've encountered, I should say. But we never wavered from that commitment to having excellent teachers for our kids. Um really positive adjustments that have changed uh over the years is that Sacred Heart added a special education certification pathway that they didn't have when we started this program. Um and this cohort that we have now that is finishing, that's going to be Bridgeport Public School teachers full-time next year. We have five of them are special education. And that's been a really great um change in the program. I I I don't think I don't think we've we've wavered from the vision at all. Um, but the dream has just gotten bigger. Great and I think gotten better because we've continued to work together towards that vision.

SPEAKER_02 6:20

I love that, and what an important enhancement for you to make to the program to add special education. We know that recruiting great special education teachers here in Bridgeville is one of our top priorities. And so for you to align your work and grow your work into something that the district really needs, it's a real testament to the partnership.

SPEAKER_03 6:39

Another testament to the partnership and the program was we were awarded a very highly competitive teacher quality partnership grant in 2024 and um the fall of 2024. It was for$3.4 million. This was going to help us sustain and grow the program and scale it even bigger. Unfortunately, the grant was rescinded through some of the governmental changes, and now we're looking for continued funding. But our we have been able to continue with our philanthropy and continue the program into cohort six and now again in cohort seven through private philanthropy. However, we are pursuing some other funding mechanisms through the federal government, which has now opened up again some options. So it does it is a testament to the program. And Michael mentioned proof of concept, but they only award those grants to highly specialized and effective programs that already have proven that they are doing what the mission of those grants is, which is highly qualified teachers, well prepared, who are likely to stay in the field the longest in partnership with universities. So we're really proud of the fact that we ever were even awarded the grant, even though it never really came to fruition. We're just very proud that nationally our program was recognized.

SPEAKER_02 8:07

It's amazing. And I I told Michael I was uh stick to the script as much as I possibly could, but I know there is another recognition. Oh, there is. And I think that you know we should absolutely highlight that here. So can we maybe learn a little bit more about this recognition?

SPEAKER_03 8:23

Absolutely. So I have been in teacher preparation for a very long time. I started at the University of Connecticut before coming to Sacred Heart, and I was there for 14 years. But when I came to Bridgeport and I met Michael and started working with him, I knew that I had never met somebody who exhibited the qualities of a boundary spanner. It's a term that we use in education for someone who can serve in both the university setting and the school setting equally, who has social capital in both places. There's a national association that awards a boundary spanning award, a pre-K20, so pre-K all the way through college, Boundary Spanning Award. It's the National Association for School University Partnerships, and we nominated him for that award this year. In all my years, I had never met anybody like him where I would want to nominate someone for this award, and he he won. So he went down to DC and won the award this year, and um we were so proud. We had a big constituency actually. Um we had 10 people come that to the conference with us, and three teachers from here as well. We funded to come and watch Michael win the award. So um the teachers also presented, they are mentors in our program.

unknown 9:41

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 9:42

So shout out to those mentors right now. Absolutely. Feel like naming them, but I'm not gonna do that right now. They know who they are. So congratulations to Michael. Yeah, very well deserved.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Thank you. I appreciate that. And um, you know, very much a shared award. You know, the the body of work I think that we've we've accomplished with Sacred Heart University involves so many different people, um, both on the university side from their their teacher-ed faculty and their leadership to Bridgeport Public Schools always being an open and willing partner as well. So it's very much a shared honor. Um, and in particular, all of the absolutely fabulous mentors that we have in this district that make these partnerships possible. Because without without the dedication of our mentors, we don't have greatness in programs like this, and they are exceptional people, exceptional people.

SPEAKER_02 10:38

I've I've met a few, and I I can wholeheartedly agree with that. Um let's shift a little bit to impact. Um, so what impact have you seen this residency program has had? I think not only really on the students, but also on the mentor teachers, on the leaders, on everyone involved. Um, and also what do you think kind of sets you apart from other similar or what people would call a traditional uh pathway to being a teacher?

SPEAKER_03 11:09

I'll talk about what sets us apart programmatically, um, because this really is a unique program. I don't think there's another one like it. I like to say anywhere. Um and but the the two things, and then I'll let and Michael can speak to impact, but the what makes our program so unique is that full year in a classroom alongside a master mentor, co-planning, co-instructing, co-assessing, co-reflecting, and the fact that we keep them as a cohort and meet with them once a week, but not just the residents, also the mentors. We pull them for Mentor Academy once a month and provide them with the professional learning they need to be great coaches, but also to give them a sense of community so that they feel supported within each other, but also from the university. There's a lot of wraparound support. So we don't know of other universities that are doing mentor professional learning in the way that we are, sustained over an entire year. The resident stays in the classroom, so there's no burden on the district. When we do pull those mentors, the resident gets that time with the kids. We pull the mentors and just um have a really great day of learning with them once a month. And this Friday is our our next one. So um we just think that's a unique feature of our program that we designed all these years ago, and is truly like one of the crown jewels of the program is the mentors. It's just been our it's one of our favorite days of month a month for sure.

SPEAKER_02 12:45

Sounds like it definitely sets you apart and shown and proven to be effective.

SPEAKER_03 12:52

Yeah, that I mean that's what we think, and what we see and what we hear anecdotally, but also in our um annual survey data that we we send out, we also see the value of that time that the mentors so appreciate and value both the perspective of the district, because what I didn't say is that Michael and I co-teach the seminar with the residents, but then we also co-design and facilitate the time with the mentors. So um there's just a deep investment and shared space that it's really like a third space. So if we think of like the university as a space and then the district as a space, we create this third space where it's the place where all learning for the university and the schools happens. It's very dynamic.

SPEAKER_01 13:42

Yeah, I thank you, Renee, because I I I completely agree. I think I think those are the things that really that really set this program apart from all others. Um the in terms of the impact, I think the impact of this program is vast. Um and I'm I'm not actually sure the best way to articulate it, but I think about it in the residency year. Um, Bridgeport children have two adults in the classroom co-teaching. And that makes a big difference for our students, whether it's for their academic needs, their social emotional needs, or behavioral needs. They now have two adults in the classroom. Um, and what we've heard anecdotally from the principals at our site schools is that less things come to their office because having two certified adults cuts the teacher to student ratio. And so there's impact immediately just in the residency year. Um the experience of the mentors, I think there's lasting impact on them as well. I wish I had numbers for you, but I don't. But um, but several of our mentors have moved on to other teacher leadership roles, uh, both within their buildings, and several have enrolled in the Sacred Hearts program for their administrative degrees to move into official leadership positions. The impact on their learning, and I think the self-confidence that comes from being a part of a mentor community and working for a full year with a teacher candidate, is really unparalleled. Um on a school-wide level, um, I see an impact as well. We started this program years ago with only two site schools. We've since expanded to more school buildings. But what we've noticed is that it has impacted the culture of the school itself, where this sounds really dumb to say, but like schools become a teaching school, sort of like a teaching hospital, if we think of it in that way. But our schools that we use as our primary side schools are now super saturated with mentors. And when a novice teacher or a teacher candidate walks down the hallway, they're gonna bump into another mentor. And so there's a real culture of learning, um, not just for like our Bridgeport students, but also for new teachers. Um, and I think that is an impact that is really significant, um, and it has it has resulted in it has resulted in, I think, a real shifting culture in the entire district where we are more welcoming to new teachers and we are more welcoming to teacher candidates than we previously had been.

SPEAKER_02 16:24

I love that. What's better than a school full of teacher mentors, right? Because you're you're everybody's learning. Absolutely, and you're looking, you're looking for that to to provide that guidance, that help. It's it becomes probably almost natural to be able to grow um other candidates for people. That's that's amazing. And so let's kind of just wrap it up uh looking ahead. So, as you look ahead, um, you know, what excites you most about this residency program? And you know, the our continued partnership with Sacred Heart and the district. What are your hopes and dreams for the future of the program? What excites you? What are you looking forward to as we continue to grow our partnership?

SPEAKER_01 17:10

I think that's a great question, Carly. And I think the reflecting on the past seven years, um what what I've learned is that we can always be excited for what's possible. And I feel like with a partnership as rich and as deep as this one, we can be excited for what's possible next. Uh, so we can always be looking for continuous improvement with what we have with what we have, but also getting excited for what we could possibly engage in in the future. Uh, Renee and several of her colleagues and myself have done a lot of work around teacher wellness. And we've embedded it both into the seminar and into the coursework at Sacred Heart, Renee has, and into the mentor academy. And we feel like some of that work is going to be exciting for us to continue in the future. Because now we have so many people who have graduated in the program who are Bridgeport Public School teachers, and so many mentors who have served in the program that continue to serve in Bridgeport Public Schools. And we've got kind of a really great core of people to continue almost with any new initiative and any new exciting possibility.

SPEAKER_03 18:24

Yeah, that's well said. I think that the um the possibilities are endless when you have true partnership, where both the district and the university come together with such a deep respect for each other and what we were able to accomplish during COVID, no less, and continue and to receive a large grant. And that those are the things that I'll continue to have my eye on, um, future funding to create sustainability, the continued growth of thinking about what does Bridgeport need and how can we how can we build that at the university, like true partnership that goes beyond a year or two. We're in year seven now of this new revitalized partnership, and we'll continue that. I don't see that ending ever. Uh it shouldn't. We're neighbors, and we have such rich environments for growth and what Michael is saying about possibility. Um that I'm just excited to see where we go next with this. I do think there's a lot of a lot of things we could do together, continue to do together. It's so much fun. I mean, it really is so much fun to build things and watch them grow and watch them have impact. So um I think really we could just do, we could do anything together. We really could.

SPEAKER_01 19:45

I agree. And and one of the things that happened this year, and I said it to Renee multiple times when um three of our mentors were presenting at a national conference about situations that don't occur in like the mentor handbook. Like how do you how do you work with your with your candidate or teacher candidate through this? And I looked at Renee several times and just said, three of our mentors are here, they're presenting at a national conference. And when I say like the excited for the possible, I didn't even know that was possible five years ago. Um and what a tremendous thing to have Bridgeport mentors at an presenting at a national conference.

SPEAKER_03 20:27

And I'm sure they probably knocked it out of the park. They were phenomenal.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

They were phenomenal.

SPEAKER_03 20:32

They really did. In fact, we are working on an article, a manuscript for a journal based on the work that they did and the work that Michael and I have done with mentors. We're gonna combine um forces and co-publish an article in a journal. So um that'll be lovely to see their names in print as well, because their work is so valuable and their voices is uh it I think more people need to know what they're doing and allow them a platform to demonstrate that in writing on a national stage and on a podcast or or wherever, because they're really amazing. I think there are some of the best teachers that I have ever seen right here in this district. So the district is lucky to have so many wonderful teachers, and we're really lucky to be able to work with them.

SPEAKER_02 21:27

Well, I hope that this podcast allowed us and everyone listening the platform to share the work that you're doing. Because also this work is so meaningful. Your voices are so important to this district and shaping our future educators. So I really hope that this has given some much needed highlight and attention to the work that you're doing. And I hope that we keep finding opportunities to bring that back that work back up to the forefront and share the progress and the opportunities and the success stories of students coming out of your program. So thank you so much, Dr. Razal and Mr. Brasman, for sharing your insight and for your continued commitment to Bridgeport Public Schools. At Bridgeport, we know that strong schools are built on strong educators. And strong educators are the result of thoughtful preparation, meaningful mentorship, and authentic partnerships. And the Teacher Residency Program is one example of how Bridgeport Public Schools is working intentionally with higher education partners to support our students and our staff and create stability in our classrooms. So thank you for listening. We hope you join us in our future podcasts. And this has been the Voice of the District.

SPEAKER_00 22:38

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