Colorado
Changemakers Come to Colorado
Colorado has long attracted fearless, innovative leaders and entrepreneurs eager to actively move the state forward. Such conviction and boldness are needed in the state’s education system. The natural beauty and booming job market mask deep and long-standing educational disparities. Known as the "Colorado Paradox," the state attracts college graduates at higher rates than nearly any other but ranks 50th in the nation when it comes to high school graduates continuing on to college. With more than half of Colorado jobs predicted to require higher education skills in the coming decade, tens of thousands of local students will continue to be denied access to opportunities around them.
Our Impact in Colorado
The opportunity to reimagine public education is now. Since 2007, Teach For America has helped shape the education system in Colorado, driving dramatic improvements for kids. From classroom teachers to school founders and leaders, nonprofit leaders, policy leaders, and local politicians, Teach For America’s impact in Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Denver grows larger every year.
Teach For America Colorado recruits and places approximately 95+ new Colorado classroom teachers each year across three vibrant communities of Denver, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo.
Continued progress and innovation will require more bold leaders, and that’s where you fit in.
Communities Where We Work
Pueblo
Pueblo
Teach For America Colorado expanded to Pueblo in 2014 at the invitation of Superintendent Charlotte Macaluso, who identified TFA as a key solution for improving student achievement in turnaround settings. TFA has placed 118 new teachers in the community since then, moving many schools on the state’s “accountability clock” to performance schools.
Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs
Since expanding to Colorado Springs in 2009, Teach For America Colorado has placed 300 teachers in Harrison District 2, the region’s highest-need district. One hundred fifty alumni live in the region, with 85% serving in education. This talent density has helped drive significantly improved high school graduation rates, closing gaps between low-income and higher-income student outcomes.
Denver
Denver
In Denver, TFA teachers have provided a strong talent pipeline for the founding and expansion of high-quality schools serving low-income students and students of color. Currently, 1 in 5 heads of school/principals and 1 in 9 district (Denver Public Schools) teachers are TFA members.
Statewide Alumni Network
Statewide Alumni Network
Colorado also boasts a powerhouse alumni base of 2,000 Teach For America alumni living and working statewide at all levels of the system and impacting 36,000 students daily.
As we look to our 2030 goal, Teach For America Colorado aims to play an integral role in doubling the number of low-income students on a path to economic mobility by focusing on career-connected learning and post-secondary readiness. Post-secondary success will be evidenced by the increase in concurrent enrollment, FAFSA completion, and post-secondary matriculation.
Almost
150
corps members are teaching in Colorado this school year.
Nearly
1800
alumni changemakers are taking on leadership at all levels in Colorado.
Approximately
36K
students in Colorado are taught by TFA teachers every day.
Teaching Certification and Graduate School
Colorado supports corps members in obtaining their initial teaching license in the state through required professional development and close partnership with our two licensing partners, Relay and ASPIRE. Both partners also offer optional Master’s degree programs that corps members can complete during their second year of service.
Corps members that receive certification through the University of Colorado – Denver’s ASPIRE to Teach program will pay $6,750 for professional development and licensing coursework over the course of their first year in the corps. Corps members will pay a $250 deposit when they enroll, and the remaining balance of $6,500 will be due in October of their first year in the corps. AmeriCorps education awards cannot be applied towards this cost.
Corps members can then enroll in an optional Master’s program in their second year of the corps through the University of Colorado - Denver. This program is fully online, and corps members will earn their Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction: Critical Pedagogy.
Through the Relay Graduate School of Education, corps members can choose to enroll in a 4-term alternative licensure program or a 2-year Master's of Arts in Teaching program. The AmeriCorps education awards can be applied to existing student loans at the time of disbursement or to the cost of the master's programming.
Local Leadership
Ambar Suero
Executive Director
Teach For America Colorado
A proud bilingual Latina, parent within the Denver Public Schools system, and community leader, Ambar Suero has dedicated her personal and professional path to accelerating educational excellence for all children across Colorado. Previous leadership roles at RootED Denver and Denver Public School’s Office of Family and Community have positioned her as a longtime education advocate, striving to ensure all students have access to high-quality education. Ambar brings over 18 years of experience in partnership cultivation, strategic leadership, and program development to her role as executive director of Teach For America Colorado.
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