Former Boettcher Teachers Program Faculty
Dr. Andra Brill, co-director for the Boettcher Teachers Program and an instructor, completed her PhD in Educational Leadership and Innovation from CU-Denver; her dissertation is entitled "Listening, Learning, and Writing: Understandings, Perceptions, and Experiences of Fifth Grade Writers." Her master's degree is in Curriculum and Instruction, also from CU-Denver, and she received her bachelor's degree in Politics from Brandeis University. Andra is fluent in Spanish and has worked in urban public schools throughout her career. Some of her positions have included work as a bilingual literacy coach, English language acquisition instructor and bilingual teacher for grades two through five.
Dr. Karen Lowenstein, a co-director for the Boettcher Teachers Program, has worked with Boettcher teachers since the start of the program in the roles of Associate Director of Secondary Education and clinical professor for all secondary fellows. Prior to her work with Boettcher, Karen completed her Ph.D. in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy at Michigan State University where she taught courses in the foundations of education and teacher research, worked with student-teachers and mentors in urban contexts, and examined her own teaching practice and her students' learning about issues of diversity and equity. Prior to her doctoral work, Karen obtained a master's degree in Spanish language and literature from Middlebury College in Madrid, and taught Spanish in two urban high schools in New Jersey.
Michelle Morris Jones is currently a staff developer for the Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC). Most of her work takes place in secondary schools working with teachers and students on developing an understanding of being thoughtful and meta-cognitive readers and thinkers. Prior to working as a staff developer, Michelle was a classroom teacher at both the elementary and middle school level. She has a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Colorado at Denver where she occasionally serves as an adjunct instructor.
Leah Pearson is a clinical professor for the Boettcher Teachers Program. Leah completed her MA in education with a focus in social sciences in education from Stanford University. Her thesis is entitled "Yoga goes to school: Adopting and sustaining a teacher-initiated school reform." She received her B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder in Humanities with concentrations in Spanish and Anthropology. Prior to her graduate work, Leah spent five years as a bilingual third grade teacher at Harrington Elementary school in Denver Public Schools. Leah is fluent in Spanish and has lived in Mexico City, Chile and Ecuador. Additional experience in urban education includes extensive work with Summer Scholars, a community program for disadvantaged readers in Northeast Denver.
Rachel Rosenberg is the elementary math methods instructor for the Boettcher Teacher's Program. She received her Master's in Education from Regis University and her elementary principal's licensure from the University of Denver and is currently teaching 4th and 5th grade at Harrington Elementary. Previously, Rachel was a math facilitator for Denver Public Schools as well as a staff developer, math coordinator, and national lab teacher for the Public Education Business Coalition.
Allyson Sudborough has been an educator in Adams 12 Five Star Schools District since 1996 as an elementary teacher and a clinical professor in staff development. For the past three years, she has mentored teachers in their classrooms and taught social studies methods for CU-Boulder as well as for the Boettcher Teacher Program. She has a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a K-12 Reading Endorsement.
Wendy Ward Hoffer, a science methods instructor for the Boettcher Teachers Program, is a National Board Certified teacher now working locally and nationally as a staff developer with the Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC). She recently completed her first book, Science as Thinking, a road map for teachers interested in teaching science for understanding. She earned an MA in Education at Stanford University.
Elizabeth Yates is a humanities facilitator in Denver Public Schools. She teaches the special needs class for the Boettcher Teachers Program. She has taught special education from kindergarten to twelfth grade in six states, and she has also served as a middle school administrator. Elizabeth has her bachelor's degree in history from the University of California, Irvine. She has a master's degree in special education from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and she has certificates in English language development and school administration. She was chosen as the Mile High Teacher at Cowell Elementary School for the 2008-2009 school year.
