What is Partners in Education (PIE)?

Partners in Education (PIE) is a unique opportunity for novice (first, second or third year) teachers to earn their master’s degree with an explicit focus on their classroom experience while working with professors at a prestigious, nationally ranked university. PIE teachers work as full-time teachers for one year at a reduced salary while earning credits toward a master's degree at CU-Boulder’s School of Education.

The PIE program is a cooperative venture with the School of Education at CU-Boulder and our partner districts: Adams County District 1–Mapleton, Adams County District 12 Five Star Schools, Adams County District 50, Boulder Valley, Brighton School District 27J, Fort Lupton and St. Vrain Valley Schools.*

A PIE Teacher is:

PIE teachers should be eager to collaborate with a mentor and other PIE teachers, motivated to obtain a master's degree, and capable of handling the dual demands of full-time teaching and graduate study. PIE teachers have full-time teaching assignments in one of the partner districts mentioned above. PIE teachers must meet all of the following four requirements:

• Admissions and enrollment in the School of Education Graduate School, meeting the 2.75 undergraduate grade point average requirement,
• hold a valid Colorado initial/provisional teaching license at the time of employment, and
• be hired for a teaching position in a participating district.

Master’s Degree Program Options for PIE Teachers:

PIE teachers can pursue graduate degrees in either the Curriculum and Instruction (C & I) or Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity (EECD) Master’s programs. Both programs are open to elementary, middle, and secondary level teachers. For specific program details, please visit the website at: www.colorado.edu/education/prospective/gradmasters.html.

Curriculum and Instruction graduate programs: K-12 Math/Science, K-12 Humanities or K-12 Literacy. The Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity graduate program for PIE teachers is Linguistically Diverse Education. Please note that additional opportunities and requirements are associated with the EECD master’s degree. Graduates of this program will be eligible for the Linguistically Diverse Education Endorsement from the Colorado Department of Education. The additional requirements are: candidates must teach in a linguistically diverse school classroom at some point during the program, will have one additional meeting each month with an EECD mentor and take four additional credits.

Benefits for a PIE Teacher:

In exchange for a reduced salary, PIE teachers receive the following benefits:

• Intensive coaching and support 1/2 day each week in your classroom from an expert district teacher, in the role of a clinical professor. Clinical professors can help you set up your classroom, plan instruction, develop classroom management strategies, team teach, and work with students, parents/guardians and other teachers.
• 15 hours of graduate tuition, with reduced student fees. The nine hours taken during the teaching year are designed to assist the PIE teacher in making strong connections between current research and classroom practice. Course requirements include semi-monthly seminars at PIE district sites instead of weekly classes on campus, ongoing reflective activities, progress toward individual professional goals, and an action research project in your classroom. Most PIE teachers take two more graduate courses the following summer. Teachers then complete the remaining half of their graduate programs at their own pace.
• Opportunities to network with other novice teachers from your own and other school districts. Through seminar activities, PIE teachers share ideas and provide additional support.
• As a district employee, medical insurance, sick days and personal leave days according to the district's policies.
• More rapid advancement on the salary scale. Additional raises for graduate course work eventually make up the first year salary reduction. In the long run, former PIE teachers make more money when compared to their first-year teacher counterparts who did not begin a master’s degree early in their careers.
• Exceptionally high levels of professional growth. Principals report that PIE teachers progress much more rapidly than other new teachers. This growth is attributed to high-quality classroom mentoring and the application of ideas learned in graduate course work. In the words of one recent PIE graduate:

“I can’t believe how much I’ve learned! I’ve learned management, planning, types of assessments, new activities, and reflection. I’m more of a facilitator. I’m developing my philosophy – what I am as an educator, what I believe...”

How to Apply:

Teachers interested in PIE must contact their school district and indicate their intention to participate in PIE by April 15, 2008. Contact names are listed below. If you are not currently employed by one of the partner districts, contact the district about hiring process and timelines. You are encouraged to pursue graduate admissions at CU-Boulder while researching employment options at the partner districts as CU admissions and district hiring are run independent of each other and are on different timelines.

Teachers interested in PIE must have COMPLETED applications in the School of Education Graduate School on file by early deadline: February 1, 2008 (recommended) or final deadline: May 9, 2008 . Application information and materials can be found at www.colorado.edu/education.

Contact Us :

University of Colorado, Boulder
Debbie Hearty
Director, School and University Partnerships
(303) 492-8499
debbie.hearty@colorado.edu

Nancy Griego
Graduate Admissions Coordinator
(303) 735-0096
nancy.griego@colorado.edu

Brighton School District 27-J
Kelly Corbett
Staff Development Director
(303) 655-2958
kcorbett@brightonps27j.k12.co.us

St. Vrain Valley Schools
Jill Donley
Director of Professional Development
(303) 682-7231
donley_jill@stvrain.k12.co.us

Adams County School District 50
Nancy Grindberg
Executive Director of Human Resources
(720) 542-4527
n.grindberg@adams50.org

Adams County School District #1
Jamie Kane
Executive Director of Professional Services
(303) 853-1014
kanej@acsd1.k12.co.us

Adams 12 Five Star School District
Stephanie (Nikki) Rivera
Staff Development Office
(970) 972-5886
stephanie.rivera@adams12.org

Boulder Valley School District
Debbie Haseman
Clinical Professor
(303) 906-5025
debbie.haseman@bvsd.org

The district hiring process is independent from acceptance to graduate school and is done entirely by each district, not the university. For district hiring information click here.

For more information about the PIE program contact Debbie Hearty, Director of School-University Partnerships at Debbie.Hearty@colorado.edu or 303-492-8499.

How do I get admitted to graduate school?

What graduate programs are available?

As a new teacher, will I be able to handle to demands of teaching and graduate school?

What if I am accepted to graduate school but do not get hired as a PIE teacher?

Once I am hired and accepted to graduate school, how do I get started?

PIE Frequently Asked Questions