For teachers new to the profession and to Des Moines Public Schools, the BLUE Contract is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to advance both your education and your career. By joining the BLUE Contract, you earn a master’s degree at no cost to you in exchange for your commitment to remain teaching in DMPS through your eighth year in the profession.

• Before beginning the BLUE Contract, all new to profession teachers in DMPS complete 24 hours of professional development in each of their first two years designed to strengthen instructional practices and build a strong foundation in equity and cultural proficiency. At the conclusion of the second year of this Induction program, teachers will be given the choice to formally enter the BLUE Contract.
• Starting in January of the third year of teaching, BLUE Contract teachers complete specially designed coursework at Drake University. Drake’s M.S.E. in Culturally Responsive Leadership and Instruction has six required courses focusing on effective teaching, cultural proficiency, and teacher leadership. Students may then select 15 additional credits from among a variety of electives or endorsement pathways, including STEM, Reading, ELL, SPED, Mathematics, Gifted and Talented, and Administration.
• The mandatory courses in the degree program were crested with DMPS administrators, coaches, teachers, and Drake faculty to ensure practical application of the theoretical works we study to a DMPS classroom. The program has been explicitly designed, and continuously refined, to complement your experience as a DMPS teacher at no cost to you.
• Along the way, credits earned through the BLUE Contract count towards salary advancement as well as the possibility of obtaining an additional teaching endorsement that can you help you have an even greater impact on students.
• Following graduation from the degree program in December of your fifth year teaching, you will remain on the BLUE Contract for the remainder of that year and three additional years. During this time, teachers continue to develop their classroom skills and their leadership potential, often stepping into roles including PLC Leaders, School Leadership Team Members, District Content Facilitators, Mentors, and even Instructional Coaches, Curriculum Coordinators, or Administrators.