Join this on-demand training opportunity to access a wide variety of online courses designed to provide paraprofessionals the targeted training needed to succeed as a Title I paraprofessional, including strategies that can be applied immediately.

For additional information view the Course List (includes course objectives)

The Minnesota Department of Education has partnered with Sourcewell to provide a limited number of seats available on a first-come first-serve basis. To be eligible, a proctored assessment must be completed within 90-days of system access. If the proctored assessment has not been completed within 90-days, you will be invoiced $59.

Please be aware that this is an on-demand training and any preparations for the assessments are up to the individual to complete online.

To access the Paraeducator Online Training for professional development without the assessments, register here.

This training focuses on why and how our body and brain respond to stress/crisis and how that affects our work, wellness, and interactions. Explore Social-Emotional Learning strategies to recognize dysregulation in yourself and others, as well as strategies to regain and retain regulation. These strategies apply to interactions with students, colleagues, and caregivers.

This webinar provides participants an opportunity to explore components of effective reading instruction including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and motivation and engagement. Within each component, participants will learn what it is, why we teach it, and how we teach it.

This webinar will identify elements of differentiation and explore differentiation strategies such as questioning, grouping, and choice. Use these strategies to meet both support and challenge needs of your diverse students.

Multilingual learners in our classrooms are a huge asset. Not every educator may feel confident in how to best support and include these students. This webinar offers insights to support educators in creating optimal learning environments and instructional strategies for each learner.

Led by a mental health professional and educator, this webinar will cover key facts about children's mental health, early warning signs of mental health disorders, and signs and symptoms of childhood suicide. Discussion will include strategies for how to respond and how to access help for students.

This on-demand course will define formative assessment and explore the benefits of utilization. Participants will learn about various formative assessment techniques for both virtual and in-person learning, and will leave the session ready to implement and achieve some formative assessment quick wins.

Using formative assessments regularly and consistently can give both educators and learners an even clearer picture around what learners know. Formative assessments also provide educators with a guide to developing learning experiences and lesson planning that can meet the needs of all learners. By using formative assessments with purpose, educators can maximize student learning and increase the effectiveness of their lesson design and delivery.

This online course is focused on building an understanding of the role of a short-call sub in the classroom and school district, as well as the process for applying for the two-year short call sub license through the Minnesota Department of Education. Participants will also learn the basics of classroom management via the Catalyst learning approach. 

This program cohort is for districts who are participating in the Career Consultant Program. District identified career committees will attend to engage in professional learning, collaboration, and program planning. Cohort sessions may take place at Sourcewell or another Region 5 location depending on the content of the sessions. Program development is based in the Redefining Ready metrics and professional learning will include outside expertise and exemplars to support program development.

Catalyst Live provides one of the most powerful activities an educator can participate in: observing their colleagues in action.

With the help of knowledgeable Sourcewell consultants, local educators can collaborate through professional networks to learn from each other and take away valuable resources. These facilitator-led groups are a great way to foster professional growth and self-improvement. 

Networks are for central Minnesota schools and districts.  Meeting format (in-person or virtual) will be based on each group's needs and the content to be covered. Some may be all in-person meetings and some will be all virtual. Most will be a mix of both.  

Choose from more than 20 subject areas. See all the details and register on our Networks page. 

Join us at the Central Minnesota Housing Summit! Developed in partnership with the Initiative Foundation and Sourcewell, Minnesota Housing Partnership is convening regional nonprofits, developers, and housing stakeholders for a peer-to-peer, in-person workshop on developing affordable housing in your community.

Join the Brainerd Lakes Area Funders Network to learn about opportunities, priority areas, eligibility, and application timelines/deadlines for 2023 from several area foundations and funders. Network with your colleagues and have the opportunity to provide your feedback on gaps that exist with funding and/or areas of need that have limited funding options.

One of the most common barriers to developing the habit of regular physical activity is time - it's just one more thing to add to an already jam-packed schedule. But who says physical activity must happen at the gym? Learn how to easily fit more fitness into your day to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Earn 10 WellRight wellness points for watching.

Recorded live on April 20, 2022. Watch it on-demand now through Dec. 31, 2022.

Nov. 11, 2022 - Regrettably, we made the difficult decision to cancel the 2023 Impact Education Conference which was to be held at Minneapolis Marriott Northwest on Jan. 7, 2023, due to low registration numbers. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we rethink the conference. If you had already registered for the event, we will email you soon with details on reimbursement. Check out our trainings and events web page for other professional learning and professional development opportunities. We offer several on-demand courses, too. 

In the course customized to para-educators, explore communication strategies that make the biggest difference for educators who work with some of our most fragile and misunderstood students.

With so much recent attention on reading instruction, we may have forgotten about the critical factor of writing in helping students to gain full literacy. Writing (encoding) is the opposite side of the coin of reading (decoding). They are equally significant in transforming our students into active and engaged citizens. n this workshop, lead by author and educator Kelly Boswell, teaching and learning about writing will be the priority. Participants will explore the conditions that help all writers be successful, as well as ways to keep writing instruction simple, streamlined, and powerful. You will leave this workshop with several field-tested strategies that will get everyone in your classroom writing with energy and enthusiasm. All participants will receive a copy of Kelly’s most recent book, “Every Kid a Writer: Strategies that get everyone writing."

Identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adolescents ages 12-18. Participants will build the skills and confidence they need to reach out and provide initial support to young people who are struggling. They will also learn how to help connect them to appropriate support.

Greater Minnesota's communities are changing and this can present new challenges and opportunities. Join the Center for Rural Policy and Development (CRPD) as they explore the topics that matter to you most from the rural workforce, child care, and mental health. Topics will be highlighted in 10 minute segments, giving you the information you need.

Sourcewell is thrilled to host Sara VanDerWerf, a champion of mathematics for all learners. Sara has spent her professional life sharing her passion and deep understanding of mathematics with students and adults. Join Sara and fellow K-12 math educators from our region in developing your understanding that mathematics is, at its core, the study of patterns. You will leave with fresh eyes and fresh ideas around the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Gain knowledge around being a culturally competent educator while meeting educator licensure requirements. Deepen your understanding of people and culture, engage in deep reflection, and learn hands-on tools for change.

This training is also being offered on June 7, 2023 >

This is a specialized training on both practical and legal considerations of open meeting laws and data practices. Participants will gain an understanding of these very complicated laws,  learn how to access appropriate tools, and leave with practical knowledge for working within the laws’ parameters.

Get ready to connect and elevate best practices as a licensed family adult foster care program at this virtual conference. This is our first year offering a Regional Family Adult Foster Care Conference to provide professional development to individuals that operate a family adult foster care license in the following counties: Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd, Wadena, Otter Tail, and Douglas Counties.

Gain knowledge around being a culturally competent educator while meeting educator licensure requirements. Deepen your understanding of people and culture, engage in deep reflection, and learn hands-on tools for change.

This training is also being offered on Feb. 16, 2023 >