The 2026–27 Teach Plus Policy Fellows to Focus on Strengthening Foundational Learning, Expanding Postsecondary Pathways, and Building a Sustainable Educator Workforce
QUICK FACTS
Who: 18 preK through 12th grade educators
Where: Denver Metro, Central Mountains, Western Slope, Eastern Plains, and Southern Colorado
Track Record: Research-backed recommendation to improve outcomes for multilingual learners, strengthen special education in the state, ensure robust implementation of the READ Act, and strengthen teacher workforce preparation.
Focus Areas: Foundational skills, post-secondary workforce readiness, educator workforce sustainability
Mission: Equip students with the resources and expertise they need to succeed in college and careers.
____________________
DENVER, CO, August 18, 2026—Teach Plus Colorado has named 18 preK through 12th grade teacher leaders to its 2026-27 Policy Fellowship. Over the next year, these educators will work directly with the Colorado Department of Education and state leaders to advocate for strengthening foundational learning, expanding postsecondary pathways, and building a sustainable teacher workforce across the state.
Fellows join a well-established regional network that includes Teach Plus Fellowship alumni who have served on Colorado’s Secondary, Postsecondary, and Work-Based Learning Integration Task Force and the Educator Safety Task Force. This year’s cohort includes a teacher appointed to the upcoming Access to Opportunities Task Force, a Colorado Teacher of the Year semifinalist, and a Children’s Champion Award winner for exceptional advocacy and impact for youth.
Teach Plus trains Policy Fellows in policy analysis, research, advocacy, and communications, including storytelling and op-ed writing, so rigorous data and firsthand classroom experience from educators reach decision makers and the public directly.
____________________
Key policy focus areas:
- Foundational Learning: Colorado passed the READ Act in 2012, and while the law has moved the needle on literacy, teachers say real gaps remain. Building on last year’s Fellows’ recommendations, this cohort will push for stronger READ Act implementation, with a focus on what happens after the earliest grades, better literacy coaching for teachers, and outcomes for multilingual learners.
- Postsecondary Pathways: Colorado is expanding postsecondary opportunities fast, but too many students, especially those furthest from opportunity, still can’t access them. Building on last year’s recommendations, Fellows will look at 9th grade readiness as an early signal and work with higher education partners to streamline teacher credentialing. The recent passage of SB 315 makes this work more urgent, both for the students who need these programs and the teachers qualified to lead them.
- Educator Workforce: Colorado has struggled to recruit and keep high-quality teachers. Fellows will examine the systems and conditions that determine whether an educator can grow, lead, and stay in the profession and recommend the solutions needed to make the workforce sustainable.
____________________
Perspectives from Teach Plus leadership and educators:
“Colorado used temporary COVID relief dollars to solve problems that were never temporary. If we want to transform outcomes for Colorado students, we can’t make that mistake again. This cohort of 18 teacher leaders brings essential, real-time insight from across our state, from the Denver Metro to the Western Slope. As we work to strengthen foundational reading and math, expand meaningful postsecondary pathways, and build a sustainable teacher workforce, the durable, research-backed solutions our Fellows champion will be critical to ensuring every student can thrive, not just this year, but for good.”—Dr. Jamita Horton, Teach Plus Colorado Executive Director
“Reading is the key that unlocks so much of a child’s educational journey. Every student deserves the opportunity to become a confident reader, and that opportunity begins with strong foundational literacy skills. I’m excited to bring my classroom experience to the Fellowship and advocate for policies that ensure students receive the explicit, evidence-based instruction, and support they need to build strong reading foundations so they can reach their full potential.”—Sarah Murtaugh, 3rd grade teacher at Gunnison Elementary School, Gunnison, 2026-27 Teach Plus Colorado Policy Fellow
“Becoming a Teach Plus Policy Fellow transforms the way you see your role as an educator, especially when you recognize that your impact can extend far beyond the classroom. Too many of our students are missing the tools, resources, and opportunities they need to unlock their futures. My goal is to help eliminate those barriers by connecting students with the resources and opportunities they need to reach their truest potential.”—Garfield Warren, AP U.S. history and AP African American studies, and Political Science 180 concurrent enrollment teacher at DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School , Denver, 2026-27 Teach Plus Colorado Senior Policy Fellow
____________________
Meet the fellows:
Denver Metro
Kevin Berstler, Policy Fellow, DSST: Conservatory Green High School (Denver)
Gene Fashaw, Senior Fellow, High Point Academy (Aurora)
Gianmarco Godoy, Policy Fellow, KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy (Denver)
Katherine Hickey, Policy Fellow, DSST: Cedar High School (Denver)
King Houston, Policy Fellow, KIPP Northeast Elementary (Denver)
Rebecca Jones, Policy Fellow, DSST: Cole High School (Denver)
Jamie Miller, Policy Fellow, Jefferson Academy Elementary (Broomfield)
Cory Montreuil, Senior Fellow, Elevate Network (Denver)
Garfield Warren, Senior Fellow, DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School (Denver)
Central Mountains
Robin Fritsch, Policy Fellow, Buena Vista High School (Buena Vista)
Jenna Sherman, Policy Fellow, Dillon Valley Elementary School (Dillon)
Western Slope
Matthew Blake, Policy Fellow, Crested Butte Elementary School (Crested Butte)
Sarah Murtaugh, Policy Fellow, Gunnison Elementary School (Gunnison)
Eastern Plains
Christie Toops, Policy Fellow, Haxtun Elementary School (Haxtun)
Southern Colorado
Mary Lou Clough, Senior Fellow, Frontier Elementary School (Colorado Springs)
Margaret Nelson, Senior Fellow, Minnequa Elementary School (Pueblo)
Kristi Schmitz, Policy Fellow, Belmont Elementary School (Pueblo)
Brittany Sharp, Senior Fellow, Atlas Preparatory High School (Colorado Springs)
ABOUT TEACH PLUS
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. In pursuing our mission, Teach Plus is guided by our Student Opportunity Mandate: To act boldly and create the conditions where every student can imagine their future—and experience an education that delivers the opportunity to realize it. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. teachplus.org/co
