The faculty and students in MSU's Center for Research on Rural Education are on a mission to respond to the pressing concerns of small, rural, and remote schools and communities across Montana, the nation, and the world through carefully designed service and research. The CRRE has three priority areas for the delivery of research and service: preparation and support of rural teachers; preparation and support of rural counselors; and mental health literacy for rural youth. The ASPIRE project is dedicated to supporting rural teachers from recruitment to retirement.
Undergraduates have participated in Pathways Teaching Field Experience and graduated from MSU since 2021
Student teachers who have taken rural positions from fall 2021 through summer 2025
Grant funding
Montana State ASPIRE: Program Essentials
Grounded in the strengths and realities of Montana’s rural schools
Supporting Montana’s rural teachers through every phase of their teaching career
Collaboration through a state-wide partnership network
“We will work to reduce the current teacher shortage through increasing the number of well-prepared rural teachers and strengthening mentoring processes for new rural teachers.”
-Dr. Jayne Downey, Montana State University
MentorMT
The MentorMT program is designed to “sustain and retain" new rural teachers by providing new rural teachers with a grade- and subject- aligned mentor and a statewide community of support.
The MentorMT program has trained over 250 rural teachers as mentors and matched them with over 450 new rural teachers.
Featured Stories
I Am A Rural Teacher: Linda Rost - Baker, MT
Through hands-on research, mentorship, and unwavering belief in her students, Linda Rost redefines what’s possible in rural education
What We’re Learning So Far: RSC’s Rural Educator Ecosystem Community of Learners
One year into the Community of Learners Project, participants inspire and uplift Rural Teacher Corps efforts nationwide
Rethinking Rural: Lessons from Montana’s Educator Community
RSC Board Chair Brian Fogle Reflects on Rural Teachers, Place, and Possibility
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