Urban immersive residency programs have emerged from partnerships between K-12 schools and universities offering teacher candidates a year-long field experience alongside coursework aligned with the framework and practices in the schools (Zeichner & Bier, 2015). The goals of these programs include teacher candidates applying what they learn during preparation into practice and getting good student outcomes, while building their confidence in teaching diverse students. This study used situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991) to position urban immersive residency programs as a community of practice where teacher candidate's self-efficacy and understanding of culturally responsive teaching overlap. A mixed methods design was used to compare the culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy (CRTSE) of teacher candidates in residency programs to teacher candidates from traditional preparation programs, as well as capture several teacher candidates' perceptions about how their understanding of culturally responsive teaching was influenced by aspects of the one urban immersive residency program they attended. The results can be categorized into three findings: (a) teacher candidates from urban immersive residency and those from traditional programs have moderate CRTSE beliefs; (b) the urban immersive residency program provided a community of practice for teacher candidates that supported their culturally responsive teaching development; and (c) the urban immersive program residents' perspectives showed clear understanding of culturally responsive teaching. Implications and opportunities for future research are described. [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.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]