Memphis Teacher Residency

What Memphis Teacher Residency does

Memphis Teacher Residency (MTR) is a Memphis-based nonprofit teacher preparation organization founded in 2008/2009 that recruits, trains, and places teachers in high-need schools across seven strategic Memphis neighborhoods. Its core product is a year-long residency model that pairs Lipscomb University graduate coursework with a full-year classroom apprenticeship and personalized instructional coaching, producing credentialed teachers who are then placed in partner schools; MTR also operates the Memphis Literacy Institute (MLI) for ongoing professional development and dyslexia/reading specialist training, the JELO Licensure Program for already-employed teachers, MTR University for alumni continuing education, and STEM and elementary summer camps that broaden its pipeline. The organization has cumulatively trained more than 600 teachers, with 228 educators currently serving approximately 9,000 students across 21 partner schools, and reports an 89% program completion rate, a 90% retention rate, and a top-two ranking among 43 Tennessee teacher preparation programs for eight consecutive years.

MTR's business model is a hybrid nonprofit funding structure: philanthropic donations and grants, AmeriCorps funding that supports resident stipends, tuition revenue from the JELO program, and contracted services through the Memphis Literacy Institute. Go-to-market is direct partnership with Memphis-Shelby County Schools and the Achievement School District, with residents placed into partner schools upon program completion. MTR operates within a Christian-faith-based mission framework, and its operational technology stack consists of standard nonprofit tooling (Squarespace CMS, 451.io forms, Calendly, Zoom) with no proprietary platform or AI/ML components evident in the input data.

Name

Memphis Teacher Residency

Legal name

Memphis Teacher Residency

Website

https://memphistr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Memphis Teacher Residency (MTR) is a faith-based nonprofit that recruits, trains, and places teachers in high-need Memphis schools through a year-long residency combining Lipscomb University graduate coursework with classroom apprenticeship and personalized coaching, serving 228 educators across 21 partner schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Teacher Preparation and Educator Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative Teacher Certification & Licensure Programs (EDAHAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Laboratory / Demonstration Schools & Clinical Practice Centers (EDAHAFAN), Curriculum & Instruction / Instructional Design Programs (EDAHAFAE)

Keywords

• Teacher residency programs
• Teacher preparation services
• Literacy coaching training
• Educator development programs
• School partnership services

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: MTR operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through charitable donations and grant funding from foundations and individuals committed to educational equity in Memphis.
2. Program Fees - JELO Licensure Program: The Job-Embedded Licensure-Only (JELO) Program charges tuition for the 18-hour graduate coursework through Lipscomb University partnership. Participants teach full-time while completing coursework.
3. Living Stipends and Fellowship Awards: MTR provides living stipends ($15,600/year for residents) and fellowship awards ($1,000 completion awards) which are funded through organizational budget including AmeriCorps partnerships, not charged to participants.
4. AmeriCorps Funding: Partnership with AmeriCorps provides stipended volunteer work program funding that supports fellowship and program operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Memphis Teacher Residency trains prospective teachers through a year-long residency that combines graduate coursework via Lipscomb University with classroom internship and personalized coaching, preparing educators for high-need Memphis schools. The organization also operates the Memphis Literacy Institute (MLI) for school-based literacy partnerships and IDA-accredited Reading Specialist Certification, summer literacy and STEM camps with paid college fellowships, and the Job-Embedded Licensure-Only (JELO) program for in-service teachers seeking K-5 or PK-12 ESL licensure.

Product overview

Memphis Teacher Residency operates as a multi-program educator development organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs. The core offerings include the year-long Residency Program (combining Lipscomb University graduate coursework with classroom internship and coaching), the Memphis Literacy Institute (providing IDA-accredited Reading Specialist Certification, school-based partnerships, and professional learning), and Summer Programs (MTR Camp for elementary literacy and Marjorie Lee Browne STEM Discovery Camp for middle schoolers). Supporting programs include the Job-Embedded Licensure-Only (JELO) pathway for current teachers, college summer fellowships (Literacy and STEM), instructional coaching services, MTR University for alumni development, and the annual Literacy Conference. These programs work together to recruit, train, license, and support effective teachers for Memphis high-need schools, forming a comprehensive pipeline from prospective teacher through career-long professional development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MTR Camp: Free, three-week literacy-based summer camp for K-4 grade students in Memphis
• Marjorie Lee Browne STEM Discovery Camp
• STEM Fellowship
• Literacy Fellowship
• Job-Embedded Licensure-Only (JELO) Program

Products and services

• MTR Residency Program A year-long immersive teacher residency combining graduate coursework through Lipscomb University, classroom internship in a Memphis partner school, and personalized coaching. Designed for prospective teachers (college seniors and graduates with any bachelor's degree, minimum 2.75 GPA) seeking a tuition-free Master's degree, $15,600 living stipend, free housing, and eligibility for student loan forgiveness. Residents commit to 3 years of teaching in Memphis high-need partner schools after graduation.
• Memphis Literacy Institute (MLI) A professional development institute that partners with schools to train teachers and leaders in evidence-based literacy instruction using the MLI School-Based Model (Teacher Content Knowledge, Curriculum, Equitable Systems, Instructional/School Leadership) and the science of reading. Offers school-based partnerships, professional learning, and the IDA-accredited Reading Specialist Certification.
• MTR Camp (Summer Literacy Camp) A free three-week summer literacy camp for K, 1st, 2nd, and 4th grade students held at Berclair Elementary in Graham Heights. Includes breakfast and lunch, designed to combat summer learning loss and provide reading enrichment in a high-need Memphis neighborhood.
• Marjorie Lee Browne STEM Discovery Camp A free three-week STEM summer program for rising 7th and 8th graders, located at Crosstown High School with priority for students from partner middle schools. Includes breakfast and lunch; aimed at broadening STEM exposure and combating summer learning loss.
• MTR Camp Literacy Fellowship A paid month-long summer fellowship for college sophomores and juniors who serve as teaching assistants at the literacy camp, gaining hands-on experience in literacy education while mentoring K-4 students and inspiring future teachers.
• Marjorie Lee Browne STEM Education Fellowship A paid four-week summer fellowship for undergraduate students of color who serve as counselors and teaching assistants at the STEM Discovery Camp, designed to inspire careers in STEM education in Memphis. Includes $1,500 summer stipend plus $1,000 fellowship completion award, housing at University of Memphis, and $250 food stipend.
• Job-Embedded Licensure-Only (JELO) Program A one-year hybrid pathway for full-time teachers to earn K-5 Elementary Education or PK-12 English as a Second Language licensure. Includes 18 hours of graduate coursework through Lipscomb University, individualized coaching, and Praxis preparation. Participants teach full-time while completing coursework and must hold a teaching contract for the 2026-27 school year.
• Reading Specialist Certification An International Dyslexia Association (IDA)-accredited Reading Specialist licensure endorsement and degree program delivered through Lipscomb University, certifying teachers and leaders in evidence-based literacy practices aligned to the science of reading.
• Instructional Coaching

Quantifiable outcome

• Student proficiency in kindergarten literacy increased from 34% to 72% over four years with sustained coaching support
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lipscomb UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for accredited degree programs. Lipscomb University is a private, Christ-centered, liberal arts institution in Nashville, TN, founded 1891. Provides tuition-free Master's degree for MTR residents through this partnership. Also provides IDA-accredited Reading Specialist certification and JELO licensure program coursework.
• National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNot-for-profit national network of high-performing residency programs. Founded 2007, the only organization dedicated to developing, launching, and supporting teacher residency programs. Partners with school districts, CMOs, institutions of higher education, and states to develop and support teacher residency programs as quality pipelines of effective and diverse new teachers.
• Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district serving Memphis with about 200 schools and 7,000 teachers. Among 25 largest districts in US. 80% of approximately 106,000 students are economically disadvantaged. Hundreds of MTR residents and graduates work in MSCS or charter schools authorized by MSCS.
• Achievement School District (ASD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated in 2010 with goal of dramatically raising student achievement at schools in bottom 5% of Tennessee schools. Runs approximately 30 schools in Memphis in partnership with various charter operators. Many MTR residents and graduates work in ASD schools.
• AmeriCorpsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent US government agency engaging over 5 million Americans in service through stipended volunteer work programs. Delivers programs addressing poverty, environment, education, and other unmet human needs. Supports MTR fellowship and program operations through stipended volunteer arrangements.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Relay Graduate School of Education: Relay is an alternative teacher certification and Master's degree program that, like MTR, prepares teachers for high-need schools through an alternative pathway rather than traditional college-of-education route. Both organizations compete for the same prospective teacher talent pool and emphasize practice-based training and urban school placement.
• National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR): NCTR is the national network of high-performing teacher residency programs of which MTR is a member. Both organizations share the same model architecture (year-long residency with coaching and mentor pairing) and serve the same ultimate mission of placing effective teachers in high-need schools. MTR is essentially a direct affiliate peer operating under NCTR's umbrella.
• TNTP (The New Teacher Project): TNTP is a national teacher development organization that runs teacher residency and alternative certification programs, partners with school districts on teacher training initiatives, and publishes influential research on teacher effectiveness. Both MTR and TNTP work directly with high-need urban districts to train and retain effective teachers.
• Urban Teachers: Urban Teachers operates residency programs across multiple cities (Baltimore, DC, New Orleans, Philadelphia) with the same core model MTR uses: four-year program combining residency year with subsequent coaching and retention support. Both are direct NCTR peers focused on urban high-need schools.
• Boston Teacher Residency (BTR): BTR is one of the original teacher residency programs and shares MTR's exact model: year-long paid residency, partner-school placement, Master's degree pathway, and 3-year teaching commitment in high-need urban schools. Both are NCTR member programs targeting urban districts with significant teacher shortages.
• Chicago Teacher Residency (CTU): CTU runs a year-long residency program placing teacher residents in Chicago Public Schools, with comparable cohort-based training, coaching, and retention commitments to MTR. Both programs share the urban high-need school focus and use the same NCTR framework for residency program design and quality benchmarks.

Others

• Lipscomb University: Lipscomb University is MTR's core degree-granting partner, providing the accredited Master's degree, IDA-accredited Reading Specialist certification, and JELO licensure coursework that MTR residents complete. Lipscomb is not a competitor but a deeply embedded strategic infrastructure partner enabling MTR's academic offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Teach For America (TFA): TFA is a much larger, broader teacher pipeline organization that places corps members in high-need schools across the country. While TFA uses a 2-year teaching commitment model rather than a year-long residency, both organizations share the mission of placing effective teachers in under-resourced schools and compete for similar candidate demographics and foundation funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/memphis-teacher-residency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Memphis Teacher Residency