For educators who already hold a Masters degree and want to pursue opportunities to become school or district leaders and administrators, DMPS and Drake have partnered to make a Specialist degree available:

  • Drake’s EdS in Culturally Responsive Leadership and Instruction has six required courses focusing on effective teaching, cultural proficiency, and teacher leadership. Students will take three courses in leadership and four elective credits.
  • Tuition offered at a significant reduction of only $330/credit hour (otherwise $475/credit).  This saves a DMPS grad student just under $5,000 by the end of the degree.
  • Salary increases at MA +15 and MA + 30
  • The mandatory courses in the degree were created with DMPS’ administrators, coaches, teachers, and Drake faculty to ensure practical application of the theoretical works we study to a DMPS classroom. Program explicitly designed to complement your experience as a DMPS employee.
  • Develop leadership capacity – several of our graduate students are in leadership roles: mentors, school leadership teams, PLC leaders, demonstration classroom teachers, innovation teachers, leading cultural proficiency professional development.
  • Cohort of DMPS teachers to learn alongside beginning in January of each calendar year
  • Classes are a combination of weekend, evenings, and online
  • Builds capacity in culturally proficient administrative practice and policy
  • Program is six semesters long – completed in two calendar years

Mentoring and Induction Coordinator

Jeremy Schwennen