Lakes Country will host new academy

By Trisha Marczak (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Thursday, May 29, 2008

Lakes Country Service Cooperative has been named the site for the math and science teacher academy in Fergus Falls.

The program was officially announced by Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren during a telephone press conference Wednesday morning, but specific site locations were not known at the time. The department announced Wednesday afternoon that Lakes Area Service Cooperative had been chosen as the training site in Fergus Falls.

Fergus Falls will host one of nine centers throughout the state, which will give educators the opportunity to improve methods of effective classroom technique.

The training will be open to teachers in all grade levels and is intended to improve the standards of Minnesota students, in order to compete with other countries around the world.

Seagren said the push by the Minnesota Department of Education comes at a time when school districts are preparing for curriculum changes, effective 2015.

The department is expecting some 900 teachers to attend courses throughout the state this summer.

At this point, the program has received two years of funding from the legislature. It is likely that the program will continue beyond that, Seagren said.