MDE Launches Educator Workforce and Development Center
Center Will Focus on Recruitment, Retention and Diversity
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Department of Education has established the Educator Workforce and Development Center to create more focus on programs to support districts, schools, communities and Tribal Nations in work to recruit, diversify, develop and retain educators in order to build the best teaching workforce in the nation.
Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s Due North Education Plan includes the priority to ensure every student learns in a classroom with caring and qualified teachers with the goal to build the best teaching workforce in the nation. The Education Workforce and Development Center will support this goal by supporting programs designed to expand and diversify the state’s educator workforce in partnership with other state agencies and the education community. The Center will be led by Assistant Commissioner Angela Mansfield.
“We are excited to bring a new focus to preparing, supporting and retaining our teachers and school leaders with this new Center,” said Commissioner Willie Jett. “The Educator Workforce and Development Center will help make Minnesota’s education workforce well prepared, more diverse, and ready to educate our students. I am grateful to Governor Walz and the legislature for their investments in growing our educator workforce.”
The 2023 legislative session included more than $100 million in investments for programs seeking to recruit, diversify, develop and retain teachers and school leaders across the state including:
- Expansion of the Grow Your Own grant focusing on increasing teachers of color and American Indian teachers in Minnesota.
- A new Special Education Teacher Pipeline Program focusing on assisting Tier 1 and 2 teachers, paraprofessionals and other employees in obtaining Tier 3 special education licenses.
- Expansion of the statewide teacher induction and mentoring supports for districts and new teachers.
- Establishing a statewide goal for increasing the percentage of teachers of color with improved program reporting.
- Investments in teacher residency programs in Minnesota.
- The Come Teach in Minnesota program that supports recruitment of diverse teachers from other states.
- Reimbursement of testing and licensing fees to reduce barriers to the profession for new teachers.
In addition, the Educator Workforce and Development Center will lead programs focused on developing practicing teachers and school leaders such as Minnesota’s Q Comp program, supports for school leaders, teacher development and evaluation, and principal development and evaluation.
For more information about MDE’s efforts to recruit, retain, and diversify the workforce, visit our equitable access to diverse and effective educators webpage.
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