Partner with higher education institutions to transform teacher-preparation programs and to guarantee the effectiveness of the teachers they prepare.

The Foundation is partnering with 14 higher education institutions (nine of which have formed into two consortia) that have agreed to redesign their teacher-preparation programs and guarantee the effectiveness of the 25,000 new teachers they will prepare and place in K-12 schools across South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota.

To accomplish this goal, the institutions are transforming how they recruit, prepare, place and support new teachers. In addition, each of the partner institutions has agreed to provide continued support to the teachers after graduation, in partnership with K-12 schools.

Recruit high-caliber students to pursue teaching through innovative marketing and by developing competitive compensation models.

We know that to achieve different results, we need to recruit different students into the teaching profession. To that end, the Foundation and its partners have launched an innovative marketing campaign and are developing a new compensation model to make teaching a more appealing career choice for high school and college students.

Engage with public officials to reform public policies that affect teacher quality.

Teacher licensure, compensation, education program financing – all of these issues require the support of public policymakers. We plan to work with them to develop supportive policies for education.

Launch innovative support programs for school leaders and teachers.

Finally, all teachers and school leaders need support. Given the Foundation’s history and strength in the area of leadership development, we plan to launch innovative programs for school leaders and teachers across the three states.