of teachers of color has been increasing, there is a gap in racial diversity between teachers of color who comprise 20 percent of the teacher workforce and students of color who account for 50 percent of students. (6) Data from the 2015–2016 National Teacher and Principal Survey show that millennial teachers are less likely to be racially diverse than the previous generation of Generation X teachers, suggesting that racial diversity in the teaching workforce could be declining in the future. (7) Research shows that better prepared teachers stay longer in the profession and are more effective in improving student achievement. For example, an analysis of the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey found that new recruits who had a semester or more of practice teaching prior to employment were more than 3 times less likely to leave teaching after a year than those who had no practice teaching. (8) Data from the 2012–2013 Schools and Staffing Survey show that the attrition rate for teachers is approximately 8 percent. It was higher for rural teachers, at 8.4 percent, than for suburban and urban teachers, at 7.3 and 7.9 percent, respectively. This high attrition rate is costly for local educational agencies, with the savings of replacing higher-earning, more experienced teachers mitigated by replacement costs. (9) High-quality mentoring and induction programs can offer support to teacher candidates and novice teachers throughout the teacher preparation and school placement experience, improving the likelihood that they will complete the training and certification process and remain in the profession. Evidence-based mentoring and induction programs have been shown to increase retention, accelerate the professional learning of novice teachers, and improve student achievement. (10) Teacher residencies create long-term benefits for local educational agencies, schools, and students. Research suggests that residencies bring greater gender and racial diversity into the teaching workforce and have significantly