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.

Join a dynamic community of forward-thinking educators committed to transforming student learning. Discover innovative teaching practices from our region, explore how they can be adopted to any grade level or subject, and connect with local teachers to exchange ideas, strategies, and inspiration. Together, we can elevate engagement and enrich the classroom experience for all students.

Topics include:

• Sharing innovative ideas


• Inquiry-based learning


• Creative problem solving through design thinking


• Experiential learning from the natural world


• Independent research projects


• Technology supporting innovation


• Sharing in success and iterations towards success when trying something new

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.

This tabletop exercise prepares participants to respond effectively to an active violence incident and the subsequent reunification process. Through realistic scenarios and guided discussions, attendees will examine the roles, responsibilities, and coordination among various agencies. Emphasis will be placed on communication, decision-making, and maintaining safety throughout both phases. The exercise promotes collaboration and identifies areas for improvement in emergency response and reunification protocols.

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.

In the class paraeducators explore communication strategies that make the biggest difference for educators who work with some of our most fragile and misunderstood students.

This short course looks at how first responders interact with special education students during times of crisis, including tactical operations, evacuation, and other aspects of first responder activities. 

Topics include:

-The fourteen categories of disabilities

-Building relationships with Student Support Teams

-Basic reunification for unique learners

-Planning drills, with modifications or adjustments

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 workshop is designed for both AVID elective teachers and content area teachers, K-12, to explore strategies that support rigor and student success. Participants will engage in common content focused on Strategic Lesson Design with WICOR, emphasizing how writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading can enhance instructional practices across grade levels and disciplines. Breakout sessions will provide differentiated content tailored to specific roles, with AVID elective teachers diving into strategies to enhance AVID tutorials and content area teachers focusing on fostering student engagement and voice in their classrooms. Guided application and planning time will allow participants to immediately integrate learned strategies into their curriculum and lesson plans. Join us for a hands-on, collaborative experience that will empower you to elevate student achievement and engagement in your role!

Participants must be a Region 5 AVID school.

This course is specifically designed for female and smaller-statured officers, providing proven skills to overcome size and strength differences through leverage, body positioning, and timing. Officers of all sizes and skill levels will learn practical techniques to safely control resistant or assaultive suspects, while also enhancing confidence in close-quarter encounters. 

The program emphasizes simple, effective methods that integrate seamlessly with existing defensive tactics. Instruction is delivered in a supportive environment tailored to address the unique challenges female officers may face, while reinforcing universal principles of control and officer safety.

Required equipment:

• BDU style pants


• Duty belt and/or duty vest


• Training weapon


• Mouth guard

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 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!

Having difficult conversations is the number one issue that comes up when we work with leaders, managers, team members, and supervisors. This training tackles the tough stuff. We’ll explore strategies for surfacing tension and working through conflict. Participants will learn how to discern what is helpful about conflict and how to navigate through challenging discussions with confidence and competence. Whether it's addressing resistance in a team, shifting recurring conflict, or increasing a team’s skill and comfort with having disagreements; this training will equip participants with the tools to handle tough situations effectively.

Is a hot topic producing conflict in your community? Do leaders or employees feel passionately about issues and can’t agree? Dealing with conflict constructively in local government is an essential skill in today’s world. Avoidance and compromise aren’t the only options. Addressing conflict effectively can be an opportunity to strengthen relationships and find creative solutions to tough problems, even when emotions run high.

This course is designed to equip new paraprofessionals with essential skills and knowledge for effective work in educational settings. Participants will explore foundational topics, including an Introduction to Special Education, which covers 13 disability categories, and the impact of implicit bias in the classroom. The course also emphasizes the importance of leading in the classroom and understanding the paraprofessional role. Additionally, learners will gain insights into how the brain responds to stress and the concept that behavior is communication. This comprehensive approach ensures that paraprofessionals are well-prepared to support diverse learners effectively.

Participants will explore foundational topics, including an Introduction to Child Development, which covers physical and cognitive development as well as developmental delays. You will also watch an interview with Shana Larson, Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator and Heidi Hahn, Sourcewell Special Education Partner. The course also emphasizes that behavior is a form of communication and what to expect. Additionally, learners will gain insights into de-escalation, dysregulation, and how to support students. This comprehensive approach ensures that paraprofessionals are well-prepared to support diverse learners effectively.

This is a foundational training session. This workshop is intended to help build capacity for city leaders, zoning administrators, and planning commission members when it comes to a foundational understanding of land use. This training will help cities to approach zoning questions with increased confidence.

This workshop is designed to empower school leaders to drive impactful AVID implementation from their unique roles, whether as teachers, site coordinators, principals, or district administrators. Participants will explore strategies to align AVID practices with their school’s college and career readiness goals. Through engaging discussions and activities, attendees will learn how to leverage their leadership to create sustainable systems that support AVID’s mission. By the end of the session, attendees will leave with actionable strategies and a leadership plan tailored to their role, ensuring continuous improvement and meaningful outcomes for their AVID programs. 

Important Note: This workshop is designed for school/district teams that include at least one administrative representative, ideally the principal.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

On review day, applicants will present their project ideas to local nonprofit representatives, who will have the opportunity to ask questions and vote on the recipients. Sourcewell’s Nonprofit Advisory Council will review and ratify these votes to confirm funding and bring these community visions to reality.

Awarded projects will be notified of their status by the end of December.

Voting is open to any 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd, and Wadena counties and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, not just those applying for funding. All nonprofit staff, volunteers, and board members are eligible to attend (a total of four per nonprofit).