LDA Minnesota’s board and staff have worked tirelessly this past year to ensure our programs and services meet the ever-changing needs of our students and clients. Though schools are in-person once again this academic year, we are all still called to be flexible, adaptable and creative to help address the increasing academic needs and demand for our services.
Our Teacher Preparation and Licensure Program prepares teacher candidates for a special education teacher license. News media has widely reported the overwhelming stress and demands on schools and teachers this year. We’ve seen these pandemic effects on our own teacher candidates. They are in schools that are facing increasing Covid-19 cases, where quarantines disrupt student learning, and where students’ social-emotional needs and trauma are impacting academic performance. LDA’s mentors are there to lend a helping hand and empathetic ear. We know our program is supporting our teacher candidates, we hear it from them and see it in our interactions. I’ve included some comments from candidates that completed the program this past Spring in the attached letter.
All of LDA’s programs are as busy as ever. Our Diagnostic Assessments and Tutoring Programs are seeing more students of all ages than previous years. Our ADHD Support Group for Adults has experienced an increase in participation. And, our Learning Connections Program that places teachers in schools to provide small group interventions in reading and math has seen growth into new schools and are serving more students than the previous year. Students are further behind than usual in reading and math and LDA’s teachers are an integral source of support for students in our partnership schools.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our work,
Martha Moriarty
Executive Director