Finding the best people for your students

So much of what we become can be traced back to our teachers. They listen. They coach. They inspire. Their influence can help change the course of our lives. So, it’s easy to see why we need to recruit the very best teachers for our children.

Sourcewell partners with local schools to address the teacher shortage—seeking to not only fill the gap, but raise the bar.

We’re working with school districts to:

• Research and develop short- and long-term programs to help schools in the five-county service area to recruit and retain teachers.
• Create strong partnerships with university field supervisors and deans.
• Promote our region’s communities and schools to prospective student teachers and teaching candidates at career fairs.
• Work to create pathways and remove barriers to obtaining an education degree and teacher license.

Mentor a student teacher

Open your classroom, and heart, to a student teacher as a cooperating teacher with the Central Minnesota Student Teacher Residency program, offered by Sourcewell.

Regional schools that host a student teacher for 16 weeks, beginning January 2022, will receive a $500 stipend from Sourcewell, in addition to the stipend paid by the student’s university. Shorter experiences will be prorated. The intention is that this amount will be distributed to the cooperating teacher.

Apply to be a cooperating teacher > 

_{Currently, the program is open to student teachers from St. Cloud State University and Hamline University only.}