This 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. Development of career pathways is based on the nationally recognized Redefining Ready metrics and professional learning will include outside expertise and exemplars to guide district teams in design. Cohort sessions may take place at Sourcewell or another location dependent on content of the session.

Our B.E.S.T. training provides essential knowledge and practical skills to support safe, confident travel. An online module must be completed before the in‑person session, where participants apply key concepts through guided practice.

This training meets the requirement for all licensed childcare and foster care providers who must complete a child passenger safety training program to transport children under age nine. The Basic Education for Safe Travel (B.E.S.T.) Program replaces the former C.A.R.S. Program as the state’s required training. Providers must complete this program every five years to remain compliant with state requirements.

Register below:

Crow Wing County >

Becker County >

Morrison County >

Todd County >

Douglas County >

Hubbard County >

This event is offered in partnership with the Initiative Foundation, Performance Excellence Network, and Sourcewell.

The Initiative Foundation and Sourcewell are excited to bring the Performance Excellence Network back to Central Minnesota for a Continuous Improvement cohort. Join other Central Minnesota nonprofits and local units of government for this hands-on learning opportunity.

• Sessions will be built around the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) framework, and will incorporate principles from the Baldrige Framework for Performance Excellence as well as several other continuous improvement tools and methods.


• Design will be focused on learners new to PDCA and continuous improvement concepts, and sessions will each include peer-learning opportunities.


• Participants will be asked to apply learning from each session in their respective organizations and share their experiences at the next session. Participants will be encouraged to focus on an organizational improvement opportunity through the course of the sessions as they incrementally apply the PDCA methods and associated continuous improvement tools and approaches.

Sourcewell strives to bring the highest-quality resources, information, and training opportunities to our members. We’re honored to partner with regional organizations, like the Initiative Foundation and Performance Excellence Network, to bring this opportunity to our central Minnesota region.   

This is a specialized training on both practical and legal considerations of Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law and Data Practices requirements. Participants will gain an understanding of these complicated laws, gain an understanding of updated regulations, learn how to access appropriate resources, and leave with practical knowledge for working within the laws’ parameters.

The Paraprofessional Conference is a regional conference designed to celebrate and strengthen the essential role of paraprofessionals in today’s schools. This year's conference, with the theme The Power of You, features a NEW interactive format with an inspiring keynote and three breakout sessions that allow participants to personalize their learning. Join us for a day of connection, learning, and empowerment focused on the power and impact of you.

Join us for an energizing School Administrative Assistant Conference designed to empower, educate, and celebrate the amazing administrative professionals who keep our schools thriving. This conference provides you with an opportunity to enjoy a day of skill-building, fresh ideas, and meaningful connections with peers across the region. 

Don’t miss this chance to grow, connect, and be celebrated!

Sourcewell is excited to invite you to the annual Adult Foster Care Conference, in collaboration with the counties we serve: Becker, Cass, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Douglas, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Morrison, Norman, Otter Tail, Todd, and Wadena. This virtual conference will give you an opportunity to learn about the evolving changes around family adult foster care and community residential settings and provide you with relevant professional development. Each participant will receive 5 hours of professional development.

The Sourcewell Educator Summit is the region’s premier professional learning event—bringing educators together for a day of inspiration, connection, and growth. Designed for PreK-12 teachers, administrators, and education leaders across central Minnesota, this one-day Summit offers an energizing start to the school year. 

Attendees will hear from nationally-recognized speakers, engage in high-quality breakout sessions, and explore strategies that strengthen both student success and educator well-being. Whether you're looking to recharge, learn something new, or connect with colleagues across the region, the Educator Summit provides an experience that empowers and equips you for the year ahead.

Beyond NTA is designed to support teachers in years 2, 3, and beyond! The sessions will be structured around standards, procedures, and fostering collaboration with other regional teachers. There will be 4 professional development days at Sourcewell and 3 individual coaching days in their classroom. Content will be presented, collaboratively discussed and applied to lesson planning for use in their classrooms. Attendees will have the opportunity to take Catalyst Whole Group Classroom Leadership Day 1 and attend Catalyst Live.

The Beyond Special Education New Teacher Academy is designed to enhance the fundamental classroom practices of novice special education teachers. The Beyond Special Education New Teacher Academy includes four professional development sessions focused on classroom practices. Session topics include High Leverage Practices, Catalyst Foundations, and classroom management strategies. In addition to professional development, support throughout the year includes four individual in-classroom coaching sessions.

This 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. Development of career pathways is based on the nationally recognized Redefining Ready metrics and professional learning will include outside expertise and exemplars to guide district teams in design.

The New Teacher Academy is designed to increase confidence and capacity in novice educators by combining relevant training with growth-focused coaching support. Support throughout the year includes five full-day trainings at Sourcewell, four individual in-classroom coaching sessions, Catalyst Whole Group Leadership, and Catalyst Live.

The Special Education New Teacher Academy is designed to enhance the fundamental due process skills of novice special education teachers. Sessions will include collaborative, interactive content, opportunities to network, and include due process application time within each session. Support throughout the year includes six full day trainings at Sourcewell.

The Special Education Academy Plus-New Teacher Academy is designed to enhance the fundamental classroom practices of novice special education teachers. The Special Education Academy Plus includes two professional development sessions focused on application of due process and classroom practices. In addition to professional development sessions, support throughout the year includes eight individual in-classroom coaching sessions. The Special Education Academy Plus focuses on the individual participant’s needs.

This two-day training integrates FEMA's foundational principles with procurement compliance, explicitly designed for local governments. Participants will learn best practices on how to establish, operate, and manage an Emergency Operations Center (EOC), ensuring alignment with FEMA’s Incident Command System (ICS) and federal procurement standards. This training will provide hands-on experience and actionable strategies to strengthen emergency preparedness while maintaining compliance with FEMA’s procurement requirements.

Learn to create environments that support all children in engaging thoughtfully through room layout and design by understanding how a student’s physical surroundings impact their ability to function, learn, and thrive at school. Students who learn in a predictable, safe, and purposeful environment are able to spend more of their energy on the content and less on navigating their space.

Dig deeper into the Catalyst Whole Group Leadership foundation skills as well as additional strategies and refinements to impact the learning in your classroom even more. Collaborate and practice with other educators who are committed to preserving relationships, increasing engagement, and have more curriculum time for their students.

At the core of strong classroom management is how the adults manage themselves. In this class, participants learn strategies (based on observations and field-testing in more than 50,000 classrooms) that allow them to strengthen relationships, increase equity, reduce frustration, and foster independence in the classroom.

This training is an in-person professional development for math educators and leaders on implementing the 2022 Math Standards: 

• Engage in a K-12 Math Task & connect to MN Math Standards 


• Instructional Math Practice 4: Build Procedural Fluency from Conceptual Understanding 


• How to use the Math Standards Hexagon Tools


• 9 math prompts that every math teacher and leader (including non math leader) needs to use


• Utilizing existing standards tools


• What to use first and how to use it.


• Networking Time 


• Q&A

The Minnesota Service Cooperatives have collaborated to bring you a virtual, asynchronous option to meeting your Cultural Competency licensure requirement. This course provides video learning, personal reflection time, an opportunity to hear from educators in the field, and many additional resources to explore as you continue your journey to be an even more culturally competent educator.

This is area is a Minnesota teacher licensure requirement. By attending this workshop participants will demonstrate evidence of self-reflection and discussion of the following topics in a way that deepens teachers’ understanding of their own frames of reference, potential bias in these frames, and the impact of bias on expectations for and relationships with students, students’ families, and school communities. 

Topics identified by state statues and PELSB:

• Racial, cultural, and socioeconomic groups 


• American Indian and Alaskan Native students 


• Religion 


• Systemic racism 


• Gender identity, including transgender students


• Sexual orientation 


• Language diversity 


• Individuals with disabilities and mental health concerns

This is an updated course. Some content is the same as last offering, but will have most up-to-date resources.

This beginner‑friendly session is designed for those working in local government, public safety, or nonprofit organizations who want to feel more confident using everyday technology. Participants will learn the basics of computers, internet connections, and common digital tools in clear, non-technical language. The training also focuses on staying safe online. Attendees will learn how to recognize common scams, phishing attempts, and suspicious messages, as well as simple steps to protect personal and work information. No prior technical experience is required!

In this session, 5-12 educators will explore practical strategies that help students read, write, and think like experts in each discipline. Participants will learn how to scaffold complex texts so that all learners, regardless of background knowledge or skill level, can access rigorous content. Through hands-on examples and collaborative discussion, teachers will identify the discipline-specific literacy moves that build deeper comprehension and confidence. Educators will leave with ready-to-use approaches that make challenging texts meaningful and manageable for every student.

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.

The Foundational Skills (for short-call subs): Learn the most impactful strategies to successfully engage students while also helping the adults save their energy. Based on the ongoing applied research in over 50,000 classrooms and school settings, The Catalyst Approach is committed to finding relevant and practical solutions to the most common school challenges. This course introduces the roots of The Catalyst Approach and the 12 Foundational Skills to help every adult working with students know where to focus their efforts. Hopefully you’ll finish the course with a renewed sense of hope, joy, and confidence in your work.

The Foundational Skills (for student teachers): Learn the most impactful strategies to successfully engage students while also helping the adults save their energy. Based on the ongoing applied research in over 50,000 classrooms and school settings, The Catalyst Approach is committed to finding relevant and practical solutions to the most common school challenges. This course introduces the roots of The Catalyst Approach and the 12 Foundational Skills to help every adult working with students know where to focus their efforts. Hopefully you’ll finish the course with a renewed sense of hope, joy, and confidence in your work.

Quick Start to Coaching Adult Learners (for those mentoring teachers): Gain insights about the important role of mentoring adult learners. Whether you’re working with a student teacher, a new colleague, or a school leader who supports ongoing professional development for teachers, the strategies in this brief learning experience will sharpen your mentoring skills. Even if you have previous experience in this kind of role, you’ll get to reflect and refine your skills to gain confidence and make your work even more effective!