School Partners and Cooperating Teachers

Thank you for opening your classroom, your expertise, and your professional community to our teacher candidates. As a school partner or cooperating teacher, you play the single most pivotal role in bridging clinical preparation with authentic, everyday practice.

We know that hosting a candidate requires time, intentionality, and mentorship on top of your daily responsibilities. Please know that your partnership is deeply valued — not only by our institution, but by the future educators whose careers you are directly shaping.

What to Expect from Your Partnership

Our goal is to ensure this experience is mutually beneficial for both you and your classroom. Here is how we support you and what you can expect during the placement:

1. Collaborative Mentorship
   • We view clinical practice as a gradual, supported transition. Rather than a "sink or swim" handoff, we encourage a co-teaching approach — allowing candidates to observe, assist, small-group instruct, and gradually lead instruction as their confidence and skill grow.
2. Ongoing University Support
   • You are never on this journey alone. A dedicated Clinical Supervisor will partner with you throughout the term to handle formal observations, conduct check-ins, and address any candidate needs or questions that arise along the way.
3. Clear, Accessible Resources
   • Your time is valuable. This portal is designed to give you one-click access to everything you need — from evaluation forms and key deadline calendars to handbook guidelines and stipend procedures.

Core Expectations for Cooperating Teachers

To help build a strong foundation for your candidate, we ask our cooperating teachers and school partners to focus on three core practices:

• Model & Share: Share not just what you teach, but how and why you make instructional, behavioral, and management decisions.
• Provide Timely Feedback: Offer regular, constructive feedback through short weekly debriefs so candidates can reflect and adjust in real time.
• Guide the Gradual Release: Work with your candidate to establish a smooth transition into full classroom responsibility based on the semester timeline.

As a small token of our gratitude for your time, mentorship, and dedication, we are pleased to offer cooperating teachers and school partners a variety of professional growth and compensation opportunities. Depending on your district and placement setup, hosting a teacher candidate connects you to valuable benefits — including stipends, tuition waivers, and official professional development credit to support your license renewal. Please review the link below for full details on eligible benefits and the simple documentation required to claim your compensation.

A Quick Reminder: If you ever have questions, need clarification on a rubric, or want to discuss a candidate's progress, please reach out to your assigned Clinical Supervisor or our TEP team immediately. We are here to partner with you every step of the way!