August 2021
This newsletter contains news and information of interest about
Montana Rural Teacher Project. Thanks for staying informed.
Summer Camp Comes to Campus!
During the week of August 2-6, the Master of Arts in Teaching elementary candidates, many of whom are part of the Montana Rural Teacher Project (MRTP), came to campus to work intensively with young learners. The MAT elementary candidates were camp guides for Inclusive Community Camp (ICC), a unique day camp experience in which kids with diverse support needs trained "Like an Astronaut!" These campers loved flying kites and driving the rover.
The MAT secondary candidates were guides in the Middle School Mentoring and Leadership Experience Camp, an activity-based program for youth entering grades 6-8. These middle school students developed leadership and communication skills, honed their teamwork, and then engaged with the younger campers.

"It was nothing short of stupendous," exclaimed Jamie O'Callaghan, MSU post-baccalaureate licensure specialist, in reflecting on how the groups (MAT teaching candidates, middle school campers, and elementary-aged campers) worked together and learned from each other. For the teaching candidates, the two camps provided the perfect opportunity to practice skills learned in coursework and develop skills communicating with parents and families.

Thanks to Anne Cantrell and Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez for writing and photographing a beautiful story published by the MSU News Service.
PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS
The MRTP is a puzzle of partners.Truly, we could not offer the grant program without their generous assistance.

This month, we thank Nicole Soll, program manager with MSU's Academic Technology and Outreach team for the time, talent, energy and effort she shared with both Inclusive Community Camp and the Middle School Mentoring and Leadership Camp. We are grateful for her wealth of knowledge and expertise in creating meaningful experiences for youth.

If You Build It . . .

They will come. This is the quote from the famous film "Field of Dreams", in which an Iowa farmer plows under his corn crop to build a baseball diamond.

In a similar fashion, the MSU Department of Education "built" the Master of Arts in Teaching program. We knew the difficulty school leaders experience in recruiting new teachers to rural Montana. We believed if we could draw on communities’ strengths and recruit local people with bachelor’s degrees into teaching careers, we could educate future teachers in their home town, in just over a year. No lengthy preparation program; no move to Bozeman.

With the MAT in place, we then applied for a Teacher Quality Partnership grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The Montana Rural Teacher Project was the only grant recipient in the Rocky Mountain West, funded at $6.2 million. We are extremely proud of the MRTP and its foundation of partnerships with educational organizations from across the state.

Those admitted to the MAT degree program are offered the opportunity to apply for the MRTP. Participants receive a living wage stipend while they complete the 12-16 month degree program. They then receive two years of mentorship through the induction phase in exchange for a commitment to teach in an eligible Montana school.

We have built it.
We need your help to identify prospective students as YOUR future teachers.
Is your school on the map? Check here.

We are recruiting for the final MRTP cohort.
Elementary track starts - January 2022 (applications due Oct 1, 2021)
Secondary track starts - May 2022 (applications due Dec 1, 2021)

If you know of prospective applicants, please contact

Photo credit: CNN
Mentorship through Induction
The mentoring and induction component of the MRTP program is well underway! Earlier this summer, 20 experienced Montana teachers completed mentor training (a combination of advance reading, two weeks of online learning, and six hours of virtual workshop). As the MRTP participants secure their first teaching positions, each has been assigned a mentor based on grade level, subject area, and location. This month the newly matched pairs are attending virtual “meet and greet” sessions where they will get acquainted, learn about MRTP resources, and develop a plan to communicate and collaborate. 

Throughout the year mentors will provide individual just-in-time support, collaborate with their mentees to complete “Partners in Practice” activities, and contribute to topical online discussions. Mentees and their mentors will also have access to professional learning, largely via workshops and events sponsored by our statewide partner organizations through in-kind funding. Our first such event was the K-12 Science Institute hosted by School Services of Montana on August 9-11. We will soon add similar opportunities offered by our partners to the professional learning calendar!

Mentoring is yet another way the MRTP supports new teachers.