Minnesotans of color who are enrolled in a student teaching program are encouraged to apply for grants up to $7,500. These scholarships were initiated by House Democrats and ultimately made possible with $1.5 million investment approved by the Minnesota Legislature. The Office of Higher Education has more information regarding eligibility and the application process on their website.
“Minnesota has some of the worst opportunity gaps in the nation, and one significant contributing factor that has not been addressed systematically is the severe shortage of teachers of color and American Indian teachers. House Democrats sought to close these gaps by making investments to the Student Teacher Candidate Grants in Shortage Areas program,” said Rep. Connie Bernardy (DFL-New Brighton), Chair of the Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee.
The Minnesota Teacher Candidate Grant provides postsecondary financial assistance to eligible students enrolled in Minnesota teacher preparation programs during one term in which the student is completing a required 12-week or more student teaching experience. The program’s goals is to encourage individuals who belong to a racial or ethnic group underrepresented in the Minnesota teacher workforce, to become educators. The program also encourages Minnesotans of color to become licensed and teaching in geographical shortage areas. A list of designated teacher shortage areas have been identified by the Professional Educators Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) and can be found here.
The Office of Higher Education has more information regarding eligibility and the application process on their website.