Aspiring educators from Washington State University Tri-Cities completing their student teaching at Park Middle School will have a far broader experience thanks to a new partnership with Kennewick School District. 

Park Middle School, located in east Kennewick, was recently designated a WSU Tri-Cities College of Education, Sport and Human Sciences Teaching Laboratory School, according to a release. The new designation means that any WSU Tri-Cities teaching students placed there for their practicum will rotate through multiple classrooms rather than work in only one during their placements. Teaching candidates will then volunteer in selected classrooms to apply teaching techniques they’ve learned alongside how to support student learning. 

“Park Middle School’s partnership allows all our candidates to gain valuable insights into teaching and learning about middle school age-appropriate development, and a look into how professional learning communities operate. We are grateful for this partnership,” said John Mancinelli, the college’s academic director, in a statement. 

Park Middle School joins several other Tri-Cities schools as teaching laboratories. They include Richland School District’s Tapteal Elementary in West Richland, as well as Pasco School District’s Maya Angelou and Roselind Franklin STEM elementary schools.