10/01/2026
Growing Our Own Educators: Building Stronger Schools & Communities!
Round Valley Unified School District is proud to announce a new partnership with Sonoma State University through its ROOTS (Rural Opportunities & Outcomes for Teacher Scholars) Program!
This new grant-funded partnership will broaden and strengthen the work already underway through our Na-nak-lamek Teacher Residency Program. Together, we are continuing to build upon our Grow Your Own model by creating pathways for people from our own community to become credentialed teachers and serve our students right here at home.
For rural communities like Round Valley, growing our own educators is about more than filling teaching positions. It is about building long-term capacity, investing in local people, strengthening connections between our classrooms and community, and developing educators who understand the students, families, cultures, and community we serve.
We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to the Round Valley Indian Tribes for their ongoing support of our grant applications and educational initiatives. Their partnership and support continue to help us pursue opportunities that build local capacity and create high-quality educational programs for students at Round Valley Elementary/Middle School and throughout our district.
We are excited to continue our partnership with Sonoma State University and build upon the foundation of Na-nak-lamek as we create even more opportunities for community members to find their place in the classroom.
Grow Our Own. Teach at Home. Strengthen Our Community.
Learn more about Sonoma State University's new ROOTS initiative:
https://news.sonoma.edu/articles/2026/54m-grant-will-help-teachers-find-roots-rural-communities
Stay tuned for our more information about our next cohort information night on November 17, 2026.
$5.4M grant will help teachers find ROOTS in rural communities September 30, 2026 An ambitious regional initiative at Sonoma State designed to address persistent teacher shortages in rural Lake and Mendocino counties has been awarded a $5.45-million Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant from the U...
