Meet Chelsea Mohr, a special education teacher with a spark for education policy

With her new master’s degree from the CU Boulder School of Education and learning experiences in the Education Foundations, Policy and Practice (EFPP) program under her belt, Chelsea Mohr is merging her two worlds of teaching and education policy.

For her thoughtful leadership among peers and exceptional research in her capstone project, “Public Education At Risk: Examining Voters’ Rejection of Market-Based Reform in Colorado and Kentucky,” she has earned the Outstanding Capstone Award from the School of Education.

In the words of her faculty nominators, Mohr’s capstone research is “timely, ambitious and innovative” as it explores how communities are pushing back against privatization education efforts. She tackles the increasingly contentious topic of public education reform, analyzing voter behavior in two politically diverse states to illuminate why market-based reforms—such as school vouchers and charter school expansions—are being rejected by the very public they purport to serve. Her work draws upon historical, economic and cultural contexts, and offers an intersectional lens that reflects the depth of her graduate studies and passions.

As a teacher in Denver Public Schools and AmeriCorps alumna, Mohr brings professional and personal experience to her work and burgeoning  understanding of education policy.

“I have been working in the classroom since 2017, but I have always been passionate about education policy and the social science side of education,” Mohr said. “CU Boulder’s EFPP program was a perfect fit for my interests.”

After graduation, Mohr will continue teaching in Denver Public Schools with plans to increase involvement in the local teachers’ union, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. With her evenings no longer filled with coursework, she hopes to explore leadership roles in the union and other ways to apply the critical skills she developed in her master’s program, such as the power of storytelling from the perspective of teachers.

“I also plan to seek out opportunities to write about my experiences working in public schools,” Mohr said. “My time in EFPP has reminded me that I enjoy writing and find power in writing about my experiences.”

In an era when public education faces obstacles and uncertainty, Mohr’s leadership is courageous and grounded as an educator-scholar whose commitments to justice, research and the public good is just beginning to make its mark.

In her own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself

 I am originally from St. Louis and have lived in Colorado since 2017. I served with Americorps Colorado for 3 years, through which I earned Segal Education funding awards, so I knew I wanted to pursue a graduate degree at some point. I have been working in the classroom since 2017, but have always been passionate about education policy and the social science side of education. Boulder’s EFPP program was a perfect fit for my interests."

What is one of the most significant lessons from your time at CU Boulder that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?

  I learned a lot about how the history and foundations of American public education and new ways to examine the problems that exist in it today. Looking at education through intersectional lenses that account for historical, economic and cultural influences has been monumental in my view on education and the changes that need to happen. Through critical classes in queer theory and Latinx education, I uncovered new perspectives on my own experiences in my schooling that have also reinvigorated my commitment to the work. Thanks to professors that encouraged me, I also learned to be confident in my expertise, criticality, and participation in discourses around public education."

What are your next steps after graduation?

 I will continue my work as a special education teacher in Denver Public Schools. I am excited about getting more involved in my teachers union (DCTA), where much of my learning from EFPP can contribute to the union’s policy and advocacy work. With my time freed back up without evening classes, I hope to take on some leadership roles in DCTA. I also plan to seek out opportunities to write about my experiences working in public schools, as my time in EFPP has reminded me that I enjoy writing and find power in writing about my experiences. I hope to eventually transition out of the classroom and into policy or advocacy work."