Author: Chris Berdik, The Hechinger Report

This story about teacher-residency programs was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. It is republished here with permission. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter here.Jaci Grado has wanted to be an educator since she was in kindergarten. Her love of teaching solidified in high school when she worked at an after-school program in her hometown of Schuyler, Nebraska. The biggest employer in Schuyler is the Cargill beef processing plant, which relies on immigrant labor. More than 70% of the town’s 6,500 residents are Hispanic, including Grado, whose parents immigrated…