St. Cloud State University is working to innovate teacher education through local and state partnerships that will strengthen the pipeline of qualified teachers and encourage more students from underrepresented communities to become teachers through residency programs and paid student teaching opportunities.
The University has been awarded a $210k grant from the Minnesota Department of Education in partnership with St. Cloud Area Schools. The grant will support the planning and design of student-teacher residency programs in five secondary education areas: mathematics, science, visual arts, social studies, and communication arts and literature.
“The residency programs will help more students achieve their goals, diversifying the teacher workforce and ensuring our future teachers have significant classroom experience,” said Abbey Zink, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Providing students with this extraordinary level of support and guidance exemplifies the individualized approach to student success outlined in our It’s Time strategic framework.”
The new residency programs will assist students preparing for teaching careers with finding placement in St. Cloud Area Schools for student teaching opportunities that will expose them to a diverse, urban classroom environment and allow them to work with all types of learners, including populations known to be academically at-risk.
Additionally, St. Cloud State University is one of eight institutions in Minnesota that are part of a recently approved student teaching stipend pilot program. The program aims to reduce the financial burden on aspiring educators as they complete their clinical experiences during student teaching placements in Minnesota school districts or charter schools.
“Student teachers are working full time in our schools, with limited time to work a second job, and so they are often taking on debt to pursue their career in education,” said Melissa Hanzsek-Brill, director of teacher education in the College of Education and Learning Design. “Paid student teaching will help to alleviate some of the inequities and stressors for our aspiring educators, and move us closer to addressing the teacher shortage in the state.”
Reducing that financial burden could strengthen the pipeline of qualified teachers and encourage more people from underrepresented communities to become teachers.
The 12-week stipend pilot program will launch in the 2024-25 school year. Residency program planning and design are expected to take place over the next year, culminating in June 2025. Once the residency programs are in place, they are expected to serve 15-20 students across the content areas, with plans to expand to as many as 50 per year as the program becomes established. Visit our website for more information about Teacher Education programs at St. Cloud State University.
