The University of Minnesota Crookston has 16 teacher candidates receiving support after the University of Minnesota was awarded a Governor’s Emergency Educational Relief (GEER) Grant. The U of MN System’s GEER project “Enhancing the Preparation of New Teachers to Impact Learning in Minnesota’s PK-12 Schools” focused on meeting the needs of future teachers from the Twin Cities, Duluth, Crookston, and Morris campuses.
This focus was selected because COVID-19 impacted—and will continue to impact—the progress of many teacher candidates who were in the midst of, or starting critical coursework that required clinical experiences and/or student teaching in PK-12 classrooms. Specifically, when candidates left their clinical placements and or student teaching and had to navigate to online instruction, they were ill-equipped with the technical equipment and tools needed to deliver remote instruction. In addition, some candidates’ professional sustainability was challenged due to job loss during COVID (e.g., many were unable to pay tuition, had food and housing insecurity).
The University of Minnesota Crookston campus was awarded 16 grants. UMC received $16,441 in total funding for the 16 teacher candidates with awards ranging from $500-$1,500. The awards were based on an application process. Preference was given to students teaching during Spring 2021 and who would enhance the diversity of the Minnesota PK-12 teaching force and impact PK-12 education in schools with underrepresented populations.
