DHE, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Education, have outlined recommendations for recruiting and retaining more teachers in a strategic plan and complementary report submitted to the Colorado state legislature on Dec. 1, 2017. Read the press release.
House Bill 17-1003, signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper in May 2017, required DHE and CDE to develop a collaborative action plan that will outline the necessary steps to resolve the state’s educator shortage. Feedback from interested individuals and groups informed the process and final action plan.
2018 Educator Preparation Bill Overview
Colorado Department of Education 2018-2019 Educator Shortage Survey Results
Colorado Plan Into Action Grant
In 2018 the General Assembly passed H.B. 18-1332, “Concerning Creation of a Grant Program to Support Collaborative Educator Preparation Initiatives to Address the Teacher Shortage in Colorado,” adding to Section 12-1-120.9 C.R.S. The bill, signed by Governor Hickenlooper, provides $2 million to invest in partnerships among educator preparation programs and local education providers (LEPs) to invest in initiatives that address teacher shortages in Colorado.
The purpose of Plan Into Action grants are to fund deep, meaningful partnerships among EPPs and the school or school district(s) or BOCES they serve, focusing on one of the following strategies:
- Increase the number of teachers trained through traditional and alternative teacher preparation programs to include teacher residencies and Grow Your Own programs:
- Increase the number of dual licensure program offerings in teacher shortage areas;
- Increase the use of technology to support long-distance supervision and support for educator candidates and newly licensed educators.
- Align teacher preparation program content and endorsements with the needs and expectations of LEPs, and;
- Align teacher preparation programs with specific needs of local education providers and collaboratively implement innovations.