Friday, August 3, 4:00-4:30, SUB Ballroom B, Theme: Partnership

The Partnership for Rural Education Preparation (T-PREP) at the University of Colorado Denver partners with more than twenty rural districts to provide  “grow your own” pathways to the teaching profession, as well continued teacher development for all teachers through induction and professional learning options. Presenters will share the structure of two innovative teacher preparation pathways for rural districts: (1) a fully online high-tech high-touch alternative licensure pathway designed and structured to create a personalized learning program with a web of support for the candidate with a program structure allowing for continuous enrollment, where a candidate can start the program at any point in the school year; and (2) Community College partnerships where local students can seamlessly move from an AA to BA degree through coursework and mediated field experiences delivered locally across all four years. Presenters will also share how they optimized a Teacher Quality Partnership Grant to partner with rural districts by developing resources, tools, and processes for district leaders to leverage for professional learning and teacher development purposes.