The Thread

District residency programs sit between two incompatible systems — K-12 operations and EPP accreditation. Neither was designed for what residencies actually do, creating a structural data gap.

Alternative certification programs are scaling fast, but spreadsheet tracking isn’t. Five failure points that create compliance risk.

Manual clinical hours tracking won’t survive a CAEP site visit. This post breaks down the three gaps spreadsheets can’t close — verification, real-time visibility, and audit-ready reporting — and what to use instead.

IHE-based alternative certification programs make up 69% of alt pathways but run on spreadsheets and workarounds. The tech gap is structural.

This post reframes paraprofessionals as a hidden teacher pipeline and focuses on the three core barriers—time, tuition, and fear of failure—offering practical program design moves districts can use to remove each one and build stronger grow-your-own pathways.

This post walks districts through designing para-to-teacher grow-your-own pathways—from defining vacancies and eligibility to building cohorts, mentor systems, governance, and a 90-day launch plan.