Colorado’s teacher workforce faces persistent challenges: unfilled positions, high attrition, and a lack of diversity in many communities. Traditional pathways into teaching meet the needs of some aspiring educators but leave others behind, contributing to ongoing workforce shortages.

The Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (TDA) model offers a promising solution. By combining paid, work-based learning with academic study, TDA lowers the costs and barriers of entering the profession while preparing educators to meet local community needs. Colorado’s pilot program, enabled by Senate Bill 23-087, provides apprentices with structured on-the-job training under mentor teachers, related instruction through higher education institutions, and wraparound supports that encourage persistence and completion.

Early lessons from the pilot highlight the value of standardized competencies, incremental responsibility, and strong partnerships between school districts, higher education, and the state apprenticeship agency. These elements are helping Colorado expand access to teaching pathways, diversify the workforce, and retain high-quality educators in communities that need them most.

Read the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship in Colorado: Early Lessons Report here.