Alternative preparation programs, which "provide alternatives to the traditional undergraduate program path to teacher certification" (Darling-Hammond et al., 2002, p. 287) existed in 40 states by 1993 (Wilson et al., 2001). Today, approximately one quarter of new teachers each year enter the profession through an alternative teacher preparation program (Goldhaber et al., 2017). One of these alternative preparation approaches, urban teacher residencies, rose to prominence as a new model for teacher preparation in the early 2000s. Urban teacher residencies provide a more supportive apprenticeship model for teacher preparation. In 2017, the North Carolina General Assembly ratified Senate Bill 599 into Session Law 2017-189, which made sweeping changes to educator preparation and licensure. Among the changes, the law replaced the Lateral Entry process with the North Carolina Residency License. The legislature also codified more explicit clinical practice requirements into law and created a new one-year residency (NC GS §115C, 2020). Interestingly, the General Assembly provided no public explanation for these changes to the alternative licensure process that had existed in North Carolina since the mid-1980s. Through a mixed methods case study inquiry, this study explores why the General Assembly shifted from an established process to the residency approach and the implementation of that approach. The study also compares the performance of Residency Licensees on a pedagogical content licensure exam, the edTPA, to the performance of their peers prepared through both Lateral Entry and traditional licensure routes. Results from a series of qualitative interviews with policy development stakeholders indicate that concerns over student outcomes and teacher shortages, as well as a desire for increased accountability may have contributed to the development of the residency approach. While educator preparation program leaders had some discretion in implementing the law at their institutions, most programs used existing program structures to meet the needs of residency students. Program leaders expressed concerns about additional costs to support residency students and extended licensing options for unqualified teachers. Initial quantitative analyses of edTPA scores between 2016 and 2021 indicate that students prepared through traditional programs are more likely to receive passing (and higher) scores, and are more likely to be rated as "highly qualified" on the edTPA than both Lateral Entry and Residency License teachers. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]