Educators Rising Learning Expo to be hosted at USF on January 12

University of Sioux Falls will be hosting an Educators Rising Learning Expo on campus Monday, January 12, to both provide experience and skill-building for aspiring educators, as well as assist in our state teacher shortage. National research from We Are Teachers states 74% of districts struggled to fill their open positions for the 2024-25 school year. The Learning Policy Institute notes around 411,000 positions were either vacant or filled by under-qualified teachers.

In South Dakota we are on a mission to help our schools grow their own educators through our own state chapter of Educators Rising. The University of Sioux Falls is hosting an Educators Rising Learning Expo with South Dakota’s 2026 Teacher of the Year, Becky Haenfler, as guest speaker to kick off the event. The learning expo is built for students to experience what it means to be an educator and how our state and private schools are raising up the next generation of educators. Over 220 students from more than 25 different schools across the state of South Dakota have registered for the expo, where they will engage in hands-on activities, attend breakout sessions and meet with USF education faculty and students.

About Educators Rising: Educators Rising is a national network that helps develop aspiring teachers. Starting in middle school and continuing into high school, Educators Rising supports communities to provide passionate young people with hands-on teaching experience, sustain their interest in the profession and help build skills they need to become successful educators in the future.