One hundred and ten high-quality, non-traditional teachers are being recruited over a four-year period to teach in high-need districts in the Northern Colorado and Pikes Peak regions through the Teacher in Residence (TiR) program. TiR teachers attend orientation and training sessions on classroom management skills and basic standards-based lesson planning prior to entering their teaching assignments. They attend training sessions throughout the school year to learn instructional skills and are, by the end of the second year, provisionally licensed to teach in Colorado. Each participant is provided with a support team, made up of a district-appointed mentor, building principal, and coach, for their first three years of teaching.

The Southern Colorado Teacher in Residence Partnership (SCTiRP), a collaborative effort with 15 regional school districts, recruits and screens diverse quality candidates for teaching in high-need schools in southeastern Colorado. On line modules and distance classrooms are used as alternative delivery models and are available not only to program participants, but also to students in other alternative programs. Coaches and mentors provide training, classroom support, and resources; and a variety of induction activities and professional development resources help support teachers once they leave the program.

The Teach Now Program will recruit 108 mid-career professionals and recent college graduates with excellent academic records, emphasizing the recruitment of minorities, to teach in high-need LEAs and/or to teach in high-need academic subjects across the state. School support teams, recruitment, and induction programs are coordinated regionally and a Teach Now website (http://www.western.edu/teachnow) publishes information . Coursework is done both online and on campus. A procedure for developing a cadre of experienced full-time mentor teachers has been established, as well as a teacher corps induction program.