Denver, CO— Teach Plus, a national nonprofit that empowers teachers to lead improvements in educational policy and instructional practice, has selected a group of 12 demonstrably effective teachers from around Colorado for its 2021-2022 Policy Fellowship cohort. The cohort, the sixth in the state, will focus on a range of issues including creating culturally sustaining schools, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the recruitment and retention of teachers of color.
“This cohort will build off of the successful policy and advocacy work of previous Teach Plus Fellows in Colorado. The new Fellows have embraced the issues of equity and diversity and I look forward to their impact on the education of all students in our state,” said Mark Sass, Teach Plus Colorado Executive Director.
“I am looking forward to learning more about how policy is developed at the state level and working with like-minded individuals to begin advocating for policy changes that positively impact student achievement in Colorado schools,” said Lorelei Jackson, an incoming Teach Plus Policy Fellow who teaches in Denver Public Schools.
The new Fellows hail from traditional public and charter public schools from kindergarten to high school, teach core subjects as well as electives, and represent the diversity of Colorado’s students. The teachers in the cohort entered the profession through traditional and nontraditional educator preparation programs. The Fellows are selected through a rigorous application process which requires them to demonstrate effectiveness, commitment to equity, and pursuit of excellence and innovation in their teaching. Throughout the program, the Fellows are trained in policy, advocacy, research, and communications and develop the skills necessary to advocate for changes for Colorado’s students.
“I am most eager to deepen my knowledge around the challenges districts face when recruiting teachers of color and the interplay between policy, teacher recruitment and retention, and student success,” said Rosanna Czarnecki, an incoming Teach Plus Policy Fellow and a teacher in Colorado Springs.
The 2021-22 Teach Plus Colorado Policy Fellows are:
- Veronica Bell, KIPP Sunshine Peak Elementary School, Denver Public Schools
- Margaret Chase, Highlands Ranch High School, Douglas County Schools
- Rosanna Czarnecki, Thomas B. Doherty High School, Colorado Springs School District
- Mary Rose Donahue, Boulder High School, Boulder Valley School District
- Donovan Fountain, Global Village Academy, Aurora Public Schools
- Lorelei Jackson, KIPP Northeast Middle School, Denver Public Schools
- Tim Nelson, Denver School of Science and Technology: Cole Middle School, Denver Public Schools
- Jing Qiu, STRIVE Prep – Federal, Denver Public Schools
- Yaël Saint-Armand, STRIVE Prep – Sunnyside, Denver Public Schools
- Kenton Shimozaki, STRIVE Prep – Federal, Denver Public Schools
- Tracey Shipman, Denver School of Science and Technology: Green Valley Ranch High School, Denver Public Schools
- Madison Stockton, Southmoor Elementary School, Denver Public Schools
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. 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, to create an education system driven by access and excellence for all. teachplus.org
