About the School of Education

School of Education Contact Information:

[email protected]

(303) 615-1444 (Dean’s Office)
(303) 615-1555 (Student Services)

Department Mailing Address:

School of Education
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Campus Box 21
P.O. Box 173362
Denver, CO 80217-3362

For contact details of School of Education Faculty and Staff, please visit the Faculty and Staff directory.

A Warm Welcome from the Dean

Elizabeth R. Hinde, Professor and Dean

Welcome to the School of Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver! The School of Education is nationally recognized for excellence and innovation in preparing teachers and developing programs that advance excellence in PreK-12 schools and settings. The faculty and staff of the School of Education are committed to preparing excellent teachers and educational leaders who are ethical decision-makers and agents of positive social change. Teach, Lead, Transform is our motto as we seek to teach the current and next generation of PreK-12 educators; are leaders in schools, communities, and education overall; and help transform people, systems, communities, and schools to advance education in Colorado and beyond.

The award-winning faculty in the School of Education are scholars, as well as experienced teachers themselves. We understand both the realities and the potential of today’s classrooms and schools. We know what real schools and classrooms are like, and, by virtue of our research and experience, have a clear vision for how they can be in order to sustain their best parts, transform that which needs to be changed, and help revitalize our democratic society overall. Our motto of “Teach, Lead, Transform” is realized through our excellent programs that prepare preschool through high school teachers at the undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and masters programs. We are proud of our partnerships with many school districts, businesses, and non-profits throughout Colorado who are our collaborators and friends in providing the best possible education to our students.

If you are interested in becoming a teacher or if you are a teacher and would like to deepen your understanding and skills, I encourage you to explore our website and contact us. Our programs in early childhood education, elementary education, secondary and k-12 content area education, special education, instructional technology, and curriculum and instruction will help you achieve your dream of becoming someone who can make a real difference in the lives of children and families.

We are here to help you learn how to have a positive impact on the world by becoming a member of one of the most powerful and important professions in the world. Please feel free to contact me, one of our advisors, department chairs or any faculty and staff to find out how we can assist you.

Thank you and I look forward to meeting you in person!

Elizabeth R. Hinde
Professor and Dean
School of Education
Metropolitan State University of Denver

“The School of Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver prepares people who will Teach, Lead, and Transform.”

Metropolitan State University of Denver’s School of Education develops excellent teachers and educational leaders who engage in reflective practice and scholarly activity, and who are ethical decision makers and agents of social change.

We do this by:

• Providing intellectually rigorous, culturally relevant curriculum that fosters pedagogical expertise, cultivates critical thinking, and promotes imagination;
• Facilitating clinical placements that incorporate a diversity of perspectives and experiences;
• Creating and sustaining mutually beneficial school and community partnerships;
• Collaborating across disciplines to advance the scholarship of teaching and learning; and
• Attracting and retaining innovative faculty who model expertise within their professional communities.

The MSU Denver School of Education (SOE) actively promotes justice through diversity, equity and inclusion as critically important to its success. A major strength of our community is its ongoing commitment to recruit, support, and educate students, staff and faculty from different backgrounds, cultures and perspectives.

We acknowledge the present and historical systems of oppression and marginalization that permeate all levels of society and believe these structures of power and privilege need to be deeply understood by all members of our SOE community. We are committed to actively dismantling these systems and barriers within our SOE. We seek to create an environment that invites honest and respectful dialogue, treats community members with dignity and respect, and manage tensions and differing viewpoints with thoughtful engagement, conversation and inquiry.

Teach. Lead. Transform.
A Plan for Excellence in Education.

“The School of Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver prepares people who will Teach, Lead, and Transform.”

Metropolitan State University of Denver’s School of Education (SOE) develops excellent teachers and educational leaders who engage in reflective practice and scholarly activity, and who are ethical decision makers and agents of social change. We do this by:

• Providing intellectually rigorous, culturally relevant curriculum that fosters pedagogical expertise, cultivates critical thinking, and promotes imagination;
• Facilitating clinical placements that incorporate a diversity of perspectives and experiences;
• Creating and sustaining mutually beneficial school and community partnerships;
• Collaborating across disciplines to advance the scholarship of teaching and learning; and
• Attracting and retaining innovative faculty who model expertise within their professional communities.

To strategically enact this vision, the MSU Denver School of Education has developed the following goals around Excellence and Innovation, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Mutually Beneficial Collaboration. Using information gathered from faculty, staff, community organizations, schools, school district personnel, and other stakeholders in PreK-12 education and teacher preparation, along with the University’s strategic plan, the faculty and staff of the School of Education agreed on the following values and goals:

1. Excellence and Innovation: The SOE faculty and staff are committed to equity-driven excellence in teaching and educator preparation through data-informed decision making. We innovate to be relevant, student-focused, efficient, responsive to challenges and ideas, and to be leaders in education.
   1. The SOE will prepare educational leaders and educators who are prepared to meet the needs of the next generation of learners. Retention will be tracked with the following goals in mind:
      1. Increase graduate student enrollment by at least 5% over the next five years.
      2. Maintain overall SOE retention above 80%
      3. Departments and/or programs will consider creation of their own advisory boards comprised primarily of members of the external community.
   2. The SOE faculty and staff will demonstrate expertise (e.g., content areas, pedagogical practices, job responsibilities, teaching modalities).
      1. SOE will develop and implement systems to regularly gather and examine feedback to determine and adapt to current promising practices as needed.
   3. The SOE will evaluate and refine the process of providing students with field placements with effective educator partners who demonstrate excellence in the field and are committed to DEI.
      1. Provide support to cooperating teachers (e.g., clear expectations, mentoring workshops, soliciting feedback, etc.).
      2. Routinely assess quality of field placements from various constituents (e.g., school administrators, SOE faculty and students, etc.).
      3. Implement changes to improve the field placement process.
         1. 95% of field placements will be placed within the first month of each semester.
   4. The SOE will provide services and resources to support  SOE students from recruitment through program completion.
      1. Examine current recruitment efforts and develop a formal recruitment and retention plan including ongoing evaluation of effectiveness
      2. Examine structures that create barriers for under-represented students, first generation students, students with disabilities, and students who are second language learners.
      3. Provide professional learning and resources to faculty and staff to facilitate consistent support and advising for students.
      4. Develop and implement systems of support for Praxis (or other state mandated measures of competency) to increase overall first-time pass rates to 50%.
      5. Provide content on the website that is informative, appealing, and accessible.
   5. Refine and critically examine internal SOE processes and operations.
      1. “Develop and implement a system to evaluate SOE faculty and staff feedback on a periodic basis to intentionally examine and adapt structures, expectations and policies to provide the necessary flexibility and support for all individuals to reach their full potential in the SOE.”
      2. Develop and implement a system to invite faculty and staff feedback to ensure inclusive communication and decision-making whereby the procedural structure is inclusive of all relevant parties, as defined by those parties.
      3. “Examine and explore policies, procedures and guidelines to ensure shared governance across the SOE.”
2.  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: The SOE seeks to engage people’s humanity and provide opportunities for individuals to be their full selves, so they can advocate for themselves to make choices (e.g., access and opportunity) so they can navigate and shape the world they want to live in.
   1. SOE will demonstrate increased rates of inclusivity/diversity of our student population to represent the cultural and ethnic demographics of the communities they are being prepared to serve.
      1. Students of color (by subgroup) to match the percentage rates in Colorado Public Schools.
      2. Purposefully recruit students from underrepresented groups in teaching (first- generation, racial or ethnic diversity, queer diversity, additional language skills, single parent, veteran status, diverse abilities, displaced Aurarian, low socioeconomic status, undocumented, etc.).
      3. Provide outreach of SOE scholarships to SOE subgroups (TED1, TED2, TED 3 and identity groups) within departments to ensure the opportunities support all parts of the SOE.
      4. Create opportunities for students to connect in affinity groups (LGBTQIA, (dis)ability, BIPOC, etc.).
      5. Actively advocate at the state and federal level for the removal of barriers to access and opportunity for MSU Denver students.
   2. SOE will actively recruit and retain faculty and staff who reflect the communities we serve.
      1. As positions are available, the SOE will seek inclusive/diverse candidate pools through targeted recruitment/job announcements and incorporate promising practices highlighted from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
      2. Create a centralized mentoring plan for all new hires in the SOE.
      3. Develop pathways for staff to develop more skills and extend internal advancement opportunities.
      4. Maintain a culture of inclusive excellence among faculty and staff, for instance, by conducting and disseminating findings of yearly internal staff and faculty climate surveys.
   3. SOE will continually evaluate and improve academic programs and student services to ensure that students are prepared to meet the needs of the communities they will serve.
      1. Develop a process to routinely evaluate the curriculum and instructional methods and identify areas to incorporate materials and perspectives that reflect diverse perspectives.
      2. Provide, attend, and share DEI professional development opportunities and learnings for all employees of the SOE
      3. Increase the number of quality clinical experiences in diverse communities (for example, as defined by % of race, ethnicity, SES, gender).
3. Mutually Beneficial Collaboration: The SOE is committed to working within and across MSU Denver, as well as schools, districts, and other external organizations in providing outstanding educational experiences for students. The SOE is further committed to gathering input and providing feedback with partners that further the SOE’s mission and benefits internal and external partners.
   1. SOE will foster and support respectful and mutually beneficial relationships with schools, districts and educational facilities.
      1. Regularly share and retrieve data and information with stakeholders to inform program improvement.
      2. Engage in opportunities to collaboratively respond to school, districts, and educational facilities’ needs (i.e., professional development/services, grant writing, research, etc.).
         1. Create a pathway for mentor teachers to participate and earn graduate credit.
         2. Create SOE affinity mentorship groups (i.e., undocumented students’ group, First-Generation, LGBTQ+, race, (dis)ability, etc.).
      3. Examine current efforts to connect with and provide continued support for MSU Denver alumni educators and develop a formal plan for current MSU Denver Teacher Candidates to connect with and learn from our alumni educators.
      4. Increase site-based and on-campus partnerships with schools in a range of districts including concurrent enrollment opportunities.
      5. Host at least one event per year to allow mentor teachers, teacher candidates, and SOE faculty and staff an opportunity to exchange ideas and promote mutual belonging.
   2. SOE will develop and maintain respectful and mutually beneficial relationships with professional and community organizations that align with SOE’s mission and strategic plan.
   3. SOE will engage in respectful and mutually beneficial collaborations with programs, departments, and units within the institution.
      1. Develop a baseline needs assessment to determine where potential collaborations exist.
      2. Regularly collaborate with other units (across the school and university) concerning curriculum and advising – including internal SOE professional and faculty advisors.
      3. Seek and establish opportunities with other units to collaborate on grants and other funding initiatives.
      4. Regularly engage in opportunities to discuss and share best practices and resources with university units regarding student success and administrative processes.
   4. SOE will engage in respectful and mutually beneficial collaborations within the SOE.
      1. Create opportunities for cross-collaboration and sharing ideas among faculty and staff across departments and programs in the SOE.
      2. Provide space for co-constructing interdisciplinary goals across departments/programs.
         1. Examine syllabi across programs to gain awareness and enhance student experiences

For information on the plan to measure progress toward each goal, please contact us at [email protected].

Statement of Assurance: MSU Denver guarantees that its teacher education graduates have successfully completed a Teacher Licensure program approved by the Colorado State Board of Education and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. The Teacher Education curriculum of the School of Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver assures that each teacher candidate has demonstrated thorough understanding of, and the ability to apply, the teaching strategies, the classroom management/school discipline methods and the measurement and evaluation tools necessary for success as a first-year licensed teacher.

In the event that the employing district of a teacher certified for licensure by MSU Denver, and appropriately placed within certification endorsement areas, finds that the teacher has displayed a lack of knowledge or competency in any of these pedagogical skills during the first year of teaching, the teacher may return to MSU Denver for up to one academic year after the problem is noted by the district, and audit the course(s) that correspond to the deficiency. These classes will be provided at no cost to the school district or to the student.

The Dean’s Cabinet is the Senior Leadership Team or “Guiding Coalition” (Kotter, 1996) of the Dean of the School of Education (SOE). It is the major leadership and decision-making body of the SOE and ensures that the values and priorities of the SOE are enacted through the day-today running of the SOE as well as long-term mission and goals. Members of the Dean’s Cabinet include people who hold positions of leadership or run specialized offices or functions that are vital to the efficient operation of the SOE and to ensure that the SOE remains true to its mission, vision and values.

Membership of the Dean’s Cabinet:

The following positions are voting members of the Dean’s Cabinet.  All votes are recommendations to the dean for final decisions.

• Associate Dean: Chandra Diaz
• Department Chairs: Rolly Schendel, Corey Sell, Kathryn Whitmore
  
• Director of Office of Clinical Experiences & Partnerships: Bryan Bohanan
• Director of Office of Education Solutions: Andy Thyrring
• Director of Graduate Programs: Brittany Lane
• Director of Alternative Licensure Program: Stephanie Cavallaro
• Financial Analyst: Hannah Flasch
• Technical Process and Communications Manager: Brian Gunther
• Data/Assessment Specialist: Barbara Fricks-Romero
• Faculty Diversity Liaison: Dorothy Shapland-Rodriguez
• Faculty representative from each department: Vacant
• Staff representative: Brian Gunther