Denver Metro Teacher Preparation Partnership

The Colorado Commission on Higher Education and the Colorado Community College System has encouraged the development of an articulated model of teacher preparation to be replicated statewide. Red Rocks Community College, the Jefferson County School District and the University of Colorado at Denver have created an alliance known as the Denver Metro Teacher Preparation Partnership (DMTPP) for the purpose of increasing the number of certified teachers with degree credentials in mathematics, and the sciences, and demonstrable competencies in the integration of technological tools in classroom instruction. The project includes recruitment of prospective teachers, teacher educator development, and pre-teaching experiences. An integrated advising network comprised of advisors from each partner institution supports the degree planning and efficient transfer from high school Teacher Cadet programs to the community college and on to the university. High school and community college students interested in teaching are participating in an intensive summer camp program hosted by the University of Colorado at Denver to introduce the teaching profession and life as an undergraduate teacher candidate. The project includes strategies for recruiting paraprofessionals into the preservice program. As instructors of prospective teachers, science and mathematics secondary and postsecondary faculty receive professional support from faculty trainers from the Rocky Mountain Teacher Collaborative in the integration of inquiry-driven learning. A Technology of Teaching Certificate is facilitating cohort teams comprised of prospective teachers and classroom teachers in the development of interactive standards based curriculum using technological adaptations to increase student achievement. Mediated internships in secondary classrooms mentored by master classroom teachers from Professional Development Schools (PDS), tutoring of secondary students and co-leading special science and technology projects sponsored by professional societies and museums with secondary students from high risk populations are strategies of the DMTPP that support the pre service preparation of prospective secondary teachers.