Where do we go from here?

MTR 2025–2030 Strategic Plan

Download the full plan

Memphis Teacher Residency (MTR) aspires for every child in Memphis to have access to a great teacher — for great teachers are the undeniable center of great schools. And every child deserves the right to go to a great school.

This aspiration is pursued within a Christian context, motivated by the gospel mandate to love our neighbors as ourselves, and employs the resources of our faith and research-based best practices to support teachers’ well-being and classroom effectiveness so that “all students may have an equal chance in the common pursuit of life and happiness.”

WE BELIEVE…

Every child deserves a great teacher.

MTR will succeed in this effort with the following goals:

MTR will become the largest provider of new teachers for Memphis schools to help fill critical teacher vacancies across the city.

By 2030… MTR will provide licensure for 150+ teachers each year to serve in a Memphis school, more than any other university or program, providing our city with 15-20% of its annual need.

MTR will become the leading provider of professional development for teachers and schools in Memphis to strengthen teacher effectiveness across the city.

By 2030… MTR will have continued to achieve its “Highest” ranking on the State Board of Education’s Teacher Prep Report Card, while a greater percentage of MTR early career teachers will achieve TVAAS level 3 and 4 than graduates of other programs, in demonstration of MTR’s teacher training expertise.

MTR will leverage partner school relationships to increase teacher retention and improve student outcomes.

By 2030… MTR will see 3rd-grade reading proficiency rates in our partner literacy schools at 60% or higher— more than twice the city average; and, MTR graduates’ retention rates will exceed those of non-MTR new hires within the District.

learn more in the executive summary
hear from our executive director
read a letter from the MTR board

What others are Saying

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

We engaged more than 800 stakeholders—from MTR staff, residents and graduates to funders and nonprofit partners. Through interviews, surveys, and focus groups, stakeholders shared candid feedback affirming our impact but also urging us toward deeper alignment and broader reach.

MTR’s strategic planning process began with listening…

Strengths

  • Our evidence-based residency and teacher training model

  • Strong coaching

  • Literacy expertise

  • Mission-driven and community focused organizational culture

  • National recognition

  • Demonstrated program and teacher effectiveness

Weaknesses

  • Limited scale

  • Brand confusion between MTR and MLI

  • Gaps in alumni engagement

  • Financial constraints

Opportunities

  • New licensure pathways

  • Expansion of literacy training

  • Professional learning, certification and endorsement for in-service teachers

  • Alumni leadership roles

Threats

  • Financial partnership instability

  • Competitive teacher prep landscape

  • Memphis-wide teacher shortage

our strategic plan

To what end?

Why We Do the Work We Do

The Memphis Teacher Residency exists to demonstrate the love of Christ in our pursuit of quality and equal education so that all students may have an equal chance in the common pursuit of life and happiness.

The peace and dignity that comes from a quality education both allows students to live to their fullest potential and more closely reflects the values of the coming Kingdom of God.

We believe that the profession of the teacher is important, noble, and vital in the life of a child and that the ideas of faith can provide deep and long-lasting resources for the benefit of a teacher’s care and instruction.

In what way?

What Programs Will Most Successfully Support our Mission 

  • Initiatives 2025-2026 (Y1)

    • Pilot Job-Embedded, Licensure-Only (JELO) pathway (elementary education)

    • Increase residency cohort size

    Initiatives 2026-2027 (Y2)

    • Expand one JELO elementary cohort to 30 participants

    • Expand MTR residency cohort to 40 participants

  • Initiatives 2025-2026 (Y1)

    • Design and develop teacher professional development for school / district delivery based on MTR’s Vision for Effective Teaching (VET) and Vision for Effective Literacy Instruction (VEL)

    • Pilot delivery of professional learning (spring 2026)

    Initiatives 2026-2027 (Y2)

    • Deliver and expand MTR VET / VEL professional development offerings to schools and districts 

  • Initiatives 2025-2026 (Y1)

    • Explore summer 2026 MTR Camp in literacy partner school

    • Introduce partner schools to MTR VET and VEL

    Initiatives 2026-2027 (Y2)

    • Offer support partner schools with MTR VET / VEL professional leaning and coaching

    • Review and confirm MTR partner school strategy and list

  • Initiatives 2025-2026 (Y1)

    • Continue literacy support at Cornerstone Prep Knight Road and Compass Orange Mound

    • Design and develop literacy professional development pathway based on Vision for Effective Literacy

    • Explore summer 2026 MTR Camp in literacy partner school

    • Establish literacy continuum for all MTR programming

    Initiatives 2026-2027 (Y2)

    • Deliver literacy PD within district, network or school context

    • MTR Camp in MTR partner school

    • Continue to execute the annual Memphis Literacy Conference

  • Initiatives 2025-2026 (Y1)

    • Engage in a communications and marketing audit

    • Affirm or rebrand MTR based on updated organization structure

    • Establish clear communication processes per stakeholder

    Initiatives 2026-2027 (Y2)

    • Initiate rebranding (June 1, 2026)

    • Implement communication process

  • Initiatives 2025-2026 (Y1)

    • Design updated organization structure and department responsibilities

    • Create new organization chart to support org structure

    • Transition to Lipscomb University as new IHE partner

    Initiatives 2026-2027 (Y2)

    • Phase in org structure and chart (June 1, 2026)

With whom?

Pathways for our Education Partners

MTR Summer Camps

Provide authentic teaching experiences to aspiring teachers and potential MTR residents.

Memphis Teacher Residency

Recruits and trains preservice teachers to serve in high-need Memphis schools.

Recruit

Memphis Teacher Residency

Provides year-long residency, M&T and school internship leading to full licensure, followed by a 3-yr teaching commitment.

Job-Embedded, Licensure-Only Pathway

Provides coursework and praxis support to current teachers serving on temporary permits leading to full licensure.

Reading SpecIALIst Certification

Provides coursework and clinical experience in a one-year cohort leading to a reading specialist state endorsement.

Train

Professional Learning

Provides high-quality professional development to districts, networks and schools based on MTR’s Vision for Effective Teaching and Literary Instruction.

Memphis Partner Schools

Increase the number of students who have highly qualified teachers across consecutive school years.

Improve student literacy proficiency beginning with 3rd grade.

Memphis Literacy Conference

Provides a robust set of literacy learning sessions engaging 500+ attendees over two days.

Support

At what cost?

Investments for a Sustainable Future

Supplying well-trained, effective teachers to our city’s schools is a forward-facing investment that serves individuals and communities in significant ways: High school graduates earn $10,000–$15,000 more per year than dropouts and contribute over $100,000 more in lifetime tax revenue. College graduates earn $30,000+ more per year than high school graduates. And more educated individuals generally live longer, healthier, and more workforce-productive lives than their peers with less education.

When we invest in recruiting and developing excellent educators, we’re not just saving money — we’re generating economic mobility for Memphis students.

So, at what cost is it to MTR to recruit, train, and support effective teachers for Memphis students?

In fiscal year 2025, our expenses were $5.9M. From 2025–2030, MTR’s financial plan includes the following proposed commitments: 

    • Establish a cash reserve of one year’s expenses ($6M)

    • Begin an endowment fund with an initial goal of $5M

    • Double fee-for-service revenue from $1M to $2M by increasing revenue from existing programs and launching new, net-positive programs

    • Expand grant funding requests to additional national funders

    • Raise annual funding to meet or exceed organizational program expenses

  • STATE:

    • Advocate for the expansion of House Bill 504 to increase funding of the TN Future Teacher

    • Initiate and support a TN Teacher Residency Bill for Department of Education funding

    • Research and solicit state funding for summer camps and tutoring programs

    SCHOLARSHIP:

    • Initiate and support a TN Teacher Residency Bill to ensure sustainable public funding sources

    • Research and solicit state funding for summer camps and tutoring programs

    COUNTY:

    • Seek funding for summer camps

    • Increase Board membership and financial engagement

    • Develop per-program budgets to analyze ROI for each aspect of our work

$15,000,000

That’s the investment needed to fund MTR programming for the next five years and build an initial endowment fund.

Our bold plan will only come to life with the help and support of many friends—like you—who believe every child deserves a great teacher.

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