Urban Teacher Residency United (UTRU) is a national non-profit network of urban teacher preparation programs across the U.S. The organization was created in 2004 to exchange best practices, share programmatic innovations and promote the concept of residency-based teacher preparation at state and federal government levels.

1. Case study
Urban Teacher Residency United
Urban Teacher Residencies across the U.S connect with Huddle.
About Urban Teacher Residency United
Urban Teacher Residency United (UTRU) is a national non-profit network of urban teacher
preparation programs across the U.S. The organization was created in 2004 to exchange best
practices, share programmatic innovations and promote the concept of residency-based teacher
preparation at state and federal government levels.
Location U.S. Challenge To manage and share information
Sector Non-profit with its nationwide partner network
Industry Education while supporting a best practices
library in a central knowledgebase.
Urban Teacher Residency United (UTRU), a national not-for-profit network of urban teacher prepara-
tion programs, uses Huddle to connect its 17 partners across the U.S. Thanks to Huddle, programs “Gone are the days of 10 different
in 14 cities and 20 school districts can share best practice with colleagues, access training document versions going back and forth
documents and case studies, and organize meetings. By providing and managing this support via email. There has certainly been a
network, UTRU gives school districts, not-for-profit organizations and universities the assistance and significant reduction in the amount of
vital resources they need to launch an effective Urban Teacher Residency (UTR). time spent on the phone and sifting
through inboxes!”
Based on the medical residency model, UTRs provide prospective teachers with masters-level - Diana Hagans, Finance and Operations Manager
education as well as a year-long apprenticeship in a classroom so that they can gain hands-on
experience. Originally set up in 2004 as an informal partnership between the nation’s existing UTR
programs in Boston, Chicago and Metro Denver, UTRU is now setting the standards for urban
teacher preparation nationwide.
Approximately half of all public school teachers across the U.S. leave their positions because they are
not ready to teach. By providing the practical learning and supportive community required, UTRU and
its local programs are building a real movement for education reform from the ground up. Statistics
show that 85 per cent of all UTR graduates stay in their schools beyond the crucial first three years,
reducing the high teacher turnover rates that cost districts millions and leave students in the dark.
Expanding at a rate of four or five additional partnerships a year, UTRU was faced with the challenge
of effectively communicating and disseminating information with its countrywide network. With just
eight staff, dealing with an escalating amount of email traffic and inbound phone enquiries from
current and potential partners was becoming increasingly time-consuming. Recognizing that
traditional communication tools were no longer sufficient to provide the communities with the support
and services required for ongoing professional development, UTRU deployed Huddle.
Diana Hagans, Finance and Operations Manager, UTRU, explains: “As the volume of partners grew, it
became increasingly obvious that we needed to store our content in a central online environment and
enable people to collaborate effectively. With a limited workforce, we needed a platform that was easy
for our partners to navigate and find information for themselves. We looked at Basecamp and a few
other options, but chose Huddle due to its great usability and customer service.”
Using Huddle, UTRU staff can upload training documents into each partner’s secure online
workspace and meetings can be easily scheduled. A best practice library has also been built so that
programs can share invaluable knowledge with each other.
www.huddle.com USA: +1 (415) 376 0870 UK & EU: +44 08709 772 212 sales@huddle.com

2. To help partners get used to the culture change of avoiding email and phone calls and encourage
user adoption, one person at each of the UTRs is trained to use Huddle. These team members then
provide orientation for their colleagues.
Diana continues: “Gone are the days of 10 different document versions going back and forth via
email. There has certainly been a significant reduction in the amount of time spent on the phone and
sifting through inboxes!”
By moving its support network online, UTRU can continue to drive educational reform, expanding its
services to more residencies across the U.S.
www.huddle.com USA: +1 (415) 376 0870 UK & EU: +44 08709 772 212 sales@huddle.com