Fairmont State University Receives WVDE Educator Preparation Partnership to Assist Cooperating Teachers

Fairmont State University has been awarded $22,825 from the West Virginia Department of Education to offset expenses for cooperating teachers who assist education students with their clinical experience. The funds will serve as stipends for cooperating teachers from local public schools who support students in their final two semesters of the education program.

Barbara Owens, Assistant Professor of Education and Director of the Professional Development School (PDS) Partnership, will lead this grant to ensure cooperating teachers working with student teachers and residents (full-time student teachers) have the support to be the best mentors possible for these future educators. Owens has managed similar grants over the past 20 years.

Owens said, "Our partnership with local counties, schools, and educators provides opportunities for growth and capacity for these soon-to-be teachers. This grant helps to ensure that we work with the best qualified educators in the field, who will co-plan, co-teach, co-assess and mentor our students. Our Professional Development School Partnership is one of the strongest in this state, and this funding is helpful in supporting our collaborative work."

Melissa Jura, a local cooperating teacher and PDS Coordinator at North Marion High School, shared, "I've seen firsthand the significant impact that the stipend from this grant makes in supporting and encouraging some of our most skilled and dedicated teachers to mentor teaching candidates. Hosting a teaching candidate can feel like extra work. This stipend helps host teachers feel valued for their time and dedication, making it possible for us to involve some of our strongest educators in this important role."

"Through the efforts of this grant, our students will continue to work in one or more of the Professional Development Schools where they have been placed. It is our hope that the WV Department of Education will continue to provide this funding in future years to help sustain this work," explained Owens.

The West Virginia Department of Education Office of Educator Preparation believes West Virginia educators are making a difference in their schools and communities. The office provides state-level approval of preparatory educator programs to ensure students are adequately prepared to teach and lead students to success.

Jura summarized, "Grants like these have a far-reaching impact on the field of education by recognizing and elevating the contributions of cooperating teachers and student teachers alike. They highlight the critical role of mentorship in teacher preparation and reinforce the value of quality support from experienced teachers in developing effective educators for the future."