One priority for our Education funding is teacher preparation programs that help to increase the placement and retention of effective teachers in high-need Chicago public schools. The strongest programs provide teaching candidates with: coursework designed for urban education; extended field experiences; and long-term support to ensure that they gain the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in their full-time teaching assignments. The Academy for Urban School Leadership exemplifies these characteristics. Since 2001, it has been a critical source of capable and committed teachers for many of the most challenging Chicago public schools.

Student achievement is the mantra repeated in schools around the country. Research tells us that within the walls of the school, teachers play the most important role in a student's academic success. A teacher's ability to succeed is heavily influenced by his or her own preparation to become a teacher, years of classroom experience, and access to high quality professional development. For most graduates of traditional teacher preparation programs, the transition from student to teacher can be characterized as trial by fire, where the first days as a classroom teacher are extremely stressful with little or no support from colleagues or administrators.

The Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) is one of a growing number of teacher preparation programs that takes a drastically different approach, providing new teachers with extensive training and ongoing support that will allow them to succeed, even in the most challenging teaching assignments.Founded in 2001 by venture capitalist Martin Koldyke, AUSL's mission is to improve student achievement in Chicago public schools by attracting, training, and retaining highly effective teachers. AUSL adopted a medical residency model to train and support new teachers who participate in a closely supervised yearlong residency in one of four AUSL-operated Chicago public schools: The Chicago Academy, Dodge Renaissance Academy, the Chicago Academy High School, and Collins Academy High School. They receive coaching from expert teachers and take coursework that focuses on the challenges of urban classrooms. Graduates earn a master's degree in education from one of two Chicago universities. But AUSL's support for the new teachers does not end with graduation. For the next three years, AUSL alumni continue to receive intensive coaching and mentoring from specially trained coaches.

For Sarah Buhayar, one of nearly 200 AUSL graduates, the focus on preparation and support helped make her a more effective educator from day one. "Graduating from AUSL means that I am part of a network of educators who are continually raising the bar on what it means to teach well," Buhayar says.

"Rather than individuals working in isolation, we are motivated professionals collaborating together."

AUSL graduates make a five-year commitment to teach in a struggling Chicago school. The new graduates are placed in AUSL teams in designated Chicago public schools with the goal of turning weak schools into centers of excellence. "This holistic approach to preparing teachers is the most effective way to improve student achievement, particularly at chronically failing schools," according to Don Feinstein, AUSL's executive director. "The recruitment we do on the front end ensures we have a cohort of committed teachers. The yearlong residency, the richness of that experience, and the ongoing support with mentors and a field coach ensure retention. The result is that we are dramatically and directly improving the quality of education, particularly for students in lowincome communities who do not routinely have access to highly trained teachers." The support systems provided to AUSL teachers are resulting in impressive retention rates. In Chicago's high poverty schools, nearly 25 percent of first-year teachers leave the classroom. By contrast, 95 percent of AUSL program graduates have remained in the classroom after three years.

"AUSL trained me well, and then even more importantly, supported me in my first years to ensure I am able to give my students the high quality teaching they deserve," says Buhayar, now in her fifth year teaching at Dodge Renaissance Academy. "To be honest, I might have left teaching years ago were it not for AUSL. Now, however, I have become part of a change movement and I will continue to be committed to improving urban education in Chicago and throughout the country."