The West Fargo Area Education Foundation wants to help the school district grow its own teachers. West Fargo Public Schools is the fastest growing district in North Dakota, and with such growth comes the challenge of hiring enough qualified teachers. A significant portion of current students and students new in the district are also New Americans or students from minority communities. These students benefit from having role models and mentors who also come from non-majority communities. In fact, all students benefit from learning from educators who are both representative of their own background, as well as those that are different. There are many individuals working as paraprofessionals in the district who may have been teachers in their former country, or who aspire to become teachers. The Foundation helps support such paraprofessionals to become teachers in a variety of ways.

• Providing scholarships or assisting them to apply for and secure scholarships to complete their teacher certification degree program.
• Partnering with area teacher preparation programs.
• Providing financial assistance while the paraprofessionals are completing student teaching and are unable to continue their paraprofessional employment