Resident Advisors

What are the RESPONSIBILITIES of a Resident Advisor?

The Resident Advisor (RA) plays a crucial role in developing Resident teachers. Relay collaborates with schools to identify a qualified RA for each Resident. The RA can be an instructional leader or strong teacher who has the capacity and skills needed to develop aspiring teachers. The RA should have a deep background in content. The RA serves as coach, role model, and support for the Resident.

The RA has several responsibilities to assist the development of the Resident, including:

• Modeling and Co-teaching: The Resident spends at least one period each day observing and assisting in the RA’s classroom. The Resident should be both observing to learn and helping to teach. Such observation and assistance should allow the Resident to draw insights from an Advisor’s teaching practice on how to become an excellent teacher. In addition to RAs, schools can assign other great teachers for Residents to observe during the day.

• Curriculum and Lesson Planning: The RA provides on-going lesson planning support by spending 30-60 minutes each week sharing and reviewing the lessons and materials for the week with Residents. Residents are expected to internalize their RA’s lesson plans every week, even if they are not teaching them. Residents will use their RA’s lesson plans in teaching simulations and Deliberate Practice classes each week in order to absorb the content being taught as well as to apply the appropriate teaching strategies.

• Communication: The RA is the primary point person between Relay and the school, sharing with Relay how the Resident is progressing and performing at school. The RA communicates progress through monthly surveys, collaborative progress calls, information communication, and Gateway scoring. Relay faculty keep the RA informed about coursework, upcoming assessments, and Resident progress.

• Feedback and Gateway Scoring: The RA should use weekly meetings as an opportunity to provide the Resident with instructional and professional feedback. As their primary link and coach at the school level, RAs should observe the Resident in action and provide a weekly concrete action step so the Resident is consistently pushed to grow as a teacher. RAs will also be asked to formally score the Residents on the Gateway rubrics to give a school perspective on their progress to date.

Pillar 4: Gradual On-Ramp