Invest in

Teachers.

The Educators’ Lab believes the best way to support teachers is to give them the time, support, and money to help them do what they do best: make a difference for kids.

The Teacher Empowerment Incubator is a year-long program designed to support rural North Dakota teachers make big impacts in small towns. Participants will gain recertification hours, test solutions to classroom frustrations, foster meaningful community collaborations, and receive financial support to fund their ideas. 

All rural educators in North Dakota are eligible to apply.  

Incubator Benefits:

  • Address stress and burnout by reconnecting with your purpose as an educator;

  • Implement YOUR IDEA(s) to improve teaching and learning;

  • Experience PBL and learner-centered models of teaching for PD: You determine what would help you/your students most; we support you to make it happen;

  • Identify opportunities within your community to foster authentic, real-world learning experiences for your students; 

  • 3 (Free) Continuing Education Credits via VCSU;

  • Up to $1500 in stipends;

  • 1-on-1 support sessions with the cohort facilitator;

  • Collaboration with like-minded educators.

Incubator Requirements:

  • Currently teach in a rural school district in North Dakota; 

  • Be open to reimagining the nuts and bolts of your classroom;

  • Be open to community collaborations with/for your students;

  • Attend a Two-day in-person training at VCSU, May/June 2025 (Dates TBD);

  • Submit Bi-Annual updates on your project, its implementation, and results;

  • Share the story of your impact (via social media, news articles, and/or conferences).

Incubator Benefits for our Communities:

  • Demonstrate the impact on students and schools when we invest directly in teachers and their ideas;

  • Provide students with authentic, rigorous, and real-world challenges;

  • Provide a new model of professional learning that trusts teachers as educational experts;

  • Honor teachers with meaningful recognition and continuing education credit;

  • Validate and elevate the role of teachers and the teaching profession;

  • Jumpstart vital community projects and bolster community collaboration.

Teacher stress and burnout has reached record highs, resulting in more teachers leaving the profession.

According to the 2024 ND Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force report, “61 percent of schools reported being unable or finding it very difficult to fill teacher vacancies. The North Dakota University System reported a six percent shortage of qualified educators across disciplines.” This shortage of qualified educators further strains already taxed schools and teachers. Among the Task Force recommendations is “Providing teachers with leadership opportunities [that] can improve teacher retention by enhancing job satisfaction, reducing burnout and expanding professional growth” (#5B: Incentivize local and state initiatives aimed at enhancing teacher leadership opportunities). 

The Teacher Empowerment Incubator aims to help. This year-long pilot will support 12 rural ND educators, empowering them to design and implement local solutions to improve teaching and learning. The program, facilitated by The Educators’ Lab in partnership with Valley City State University and funded by The Burgum Foundation, will help educators reconnect with their purpose and reinvigorate their practice, all while earning continuing education credits for their time and financial support to help implement their solutions.

By providing relevant, meaningful, and purpose-driven professional development, we believe we can keep great teachers in the classroom. As we demonstrate the efficacy and impact of implementation-based PD coupled with teacher microgrants, we will have a proof of concept to share with school districts across the region, helping us make lasting, systemic change that’s adaptable, flexible, and sustainable.