The Paraprofessional Residency Program is designed to help individuals of color become teachers. The program offers two tracks — special education and teaching English as a second language.
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The program is for individuals with an associate degree, two years of college or a bachelor degree in another field who are now looking for a career in teaching.
Students in the program will work as paraprofessionals in District 742 during the day and take their classes in the afternoons or evenings in the school districts, on weekends at St. Cloud State or online. They will form a cohort and support one another as they complete the program together. Experiences from their days as paraprofessionals will be incorporated into the program, said Denice Skelton, St. Cloud State Teacher Preparation Initiative (TPI) project manager.
“We’re really just starting to dip our toes in the water looking at alternative ways to bring students in who have an interest and passion in teaching,” she said.
The program has started recruiting applicants among paraprofessionals working in the district.
The idea behind the program is to help the candidates figure out how to manage life, work and family so they can get their degree and then have a full-time job teaching, said Rebecca Krystyniak, TPI director.
“That’s going to be excellent for them, and it’s going to be excellent for the community,” she said.
The special education program will start in summer and the teaching English as a second language program begins in fall. Candidates should earn their teaching degrees in two years.
People of color who are not currently working as a paraprofessionals but are interested in the program are encouraged to contact Skelton or Krystyniak through TPI at [email protected]. They will then work with District 742 to determine if the candidates meet qualifications for employment as paraprofessionals.
— Denice Skelton, St. Cloud State Teacher Preparation Initiative (TPI) project manager
The Paraprofessional Residency Program was designed jointly by faculty from St. Cloud State and District 742 P-12 teachers and directors through a $150,000 Bush Foundation Supporting Diversity in Teaching grant. The grant funds a recruitment and retention coordinator who will provide support for students of color in the programs’ first cohorts.
Since the need for special education teachers is so great, District 742 is also interested in recruiting traditional teaching candidates who will receive district support, Krystyniak said.
“Special education is especially in huge demand, not just in the area, but nationally,” she said. “Superintendents locally said we could double or triple the number of teachers we’re preparing in special education and still not have enough teachers.”
