Denver Teacher Residency

More about Denver Teacher Residency

Denver Teacher Residency (DTR) was founded in 2008 and is a program of Denver Public Schools (DPS), where the belief that student success is linked directly with teacher excellence is the philosophy behind DTR. Through this program, DPS recruits and cultivates aspiring career changers and recent grads to be effective teachers. Successful candidates, who are of all ages and from diverse backgrounds, are committed to bringing their outside-the-classroom experience into the classroom. DTR transforms committed professionals into the next generation of teachers who will help ensure the academic success of Denver’s highest-need students.

Central to the preparation is the combination of theory and practice, whereby residents teach and learn alongside a mentor teacher for a full academic year, while earning their master’s degrees from partner University of Denver. Resident teachers train in one of four areas of expertise: elementary education (K-5 in English and/or Spanish), special education (K-12), secondary math (6-12), and secondary science (6-12).

The next four years are spent teaching in a DPS high-needs classroom with continuous district-based mentoring, professional development and supplemental new teacher support.

Residents receive a stipend during the residency year and once a full-time teacher in DPS, earn a competitive salary with the opportunity to earn thousands more in performance-based incentives. After successfully completing the program, residents earn a teaching license, full master’s degree reimbursement, and a dual endorsement in linguistically diverse and special education.