Career Pipelines

Are you looking to transition into a fulfilling teaching career? Our DSST Apprentice Teacher Program might be the perfect pathway for you! Our Apprentice Teachers participate in a year-long development program that prepares them to take on their own classroom the following year, all while earning a salary and their Colorado Teaching License. Learn more here and apply to be in our next Apprentice Teacher cohort today!

DSST is committed to developing and retaining a diverse, high-impact team of special education teachers to serve our students with disabilities. This program is intended to remove the barrier of paying for a licensure program and is available to both internal and external candidates. In exchange for a two-year commitment working at DSST, we will pay for your full tuition (~$6,500) to CU Denver’s ASPIRE to Teach Program. This one-year program allows you to work full time with us as a special education teacher while completing the licensure program at CU. For more detailed information about ASPIRE, see this FAQ. Interested candidates will complete a brief application and interview with the scholarship committee and scholarships will be awarded on a rolling basis.

The School Director in Training (SDiT) Program serves as DSST’s two-year advanced leadership development pathway for rising School Directors and is open to both internal and external candidates. Our SDiTs work alongside an assigned Mentor School Director and are given development in the areas of people leadership; culture; instruction, coaching, and evaluation; and systems management. You must have at least five years of experience working in schools and classrooms and three years of experience in school-based leadership to be considered for this program.

The Emerging Leaders Program at DSST is a year-long experience designed to provide meaningful professional learning to current DSST teacher leaders. In addition to developing skills, habits, mindsets and dispositions that will immediately serve them in their current role, this internal program is designed to prepare DSST teacher leaders to step into school leadership roles such as Dean of Students or Director of Curriculum & Instruction.

The DSST Advanced Leader Cohort is an internal, yearlong program that serves to advance the leadership practices and understanding of campus level leaders (Associate School Directors, Deans, Directors of Curriculum & Instruction, etc.), so that they are prepared to move into the School Director in Training (SDiT) Program and/or have a clear understanding of the growth in leadership they need to be successful moving into a higher level of leadership at DSST Public Schools.