Concurrent Enrollment Teaching Initiative

Funder: Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) via Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative

Geographic Scope: Colorado, specifically rural school districts

Focus Areas:

• Support for qualified educators to become concurrent enrollment instructors
• Graduate-level coursework in specific academic disciplines
• Tuition costs for teachers pursuing concurrent enrollment instructor eligibility

Program Description

The grant covers tuition costs for qualified educators throughout Colorado who wish to become concurrent enrollment instructors. Concurrent enrollment (CE) courses offer high school and college credit simultaneously at little or no direct cost to students.

Eligibility Requirements

• Teach for at least three years in the same district
• Have administrative support to provide concurrent enrollment instruction in current school upon qualification
• Teach in a discipline supported by graduate-level instruction delivered in online format
• Work in one of the following eligible school districts: Campo RE-6, Cheraw 31, Cotopaxi RE-3, Creede Consolidated 1, Crowley County RE-1-J, Denver Public Schools, East Otero R-1, Edison 54JT, Greeley 6, Hanover 28, Karval RE-23, Kim Reorganized 88, Lamar RE-2, Las Animas RE-1, North Conejos RE-11, Pawnee RE-12, Prairie RE-11, Rocky Ford R-2, Silverton 1, Walsh RE-1, Wiggins RE-50(1), Woodlin R-104, Yuma 1

Target Population

• Social studies teachers (initial cohort of 15-20 teachers)
• Teachers in rural Colorado (85% of Colorado's 178 school districts are rural; 70% of students in these districts are first generation, low income, or students of color)

Specific Program

Teachers in social studies can enroll in Adams State Master of Arts in Humanities – American history emphasis (Colorado's only online master's degree in a discipline taught in secondary environment). Teachers with M.A. can complete 24 hours of coursework in history.