ESU No. 2, MU shared vision pays off with grant

Through a collaboration between Educational Service Unit No. 2 and Midland University, teachers in rural areas in Nebraska will be afforded the opportunity to further their education.
Eileen Barks, a professional developer with ESU No. 2, and Dr. Sara Tiedeman, Associate Vice President for Online Development at Midland University, shared the same vision while writing the Donald E. Nielsen Foundation Grant. The two educators developed a proposal that would aid in funding and serving underrepresented groups in rural areas with the most educated and highly qualified staff.
“This grant is an investment in the education of our schools’ educators,” Barks said. 
The shared vision and hard work paid off as the pair was granted $535,500 over a three-year period. These grant dollars will be directly applied towards a teacher’s tuition and fees through Midland University in obtaining a master’s degree in one of the three areas, based on the schools’ specific needs. Those areas are High Ability Learner, English Learner Language, or Administration and Leadership. This asynchronous, online program will be done in cohorts to aid in the collegiality and support of the educator.
The grant is currently being offered to school districts in Burt and Cuming counties with 13 of 15 teachers already being identified for the program. Barks and Tiedeman are in the process of working on grants for schools in Dodge and Saunders counties