Rethinking Rural: Lessons from Montana’s Educator Community

I write this as I sit at the Bozeman, Montana airport awaiting a flight back to the Missouri Ozarks. I had the privilege of attending a gathering of rural educators and champions at Montana State University (MSU) sponsored by Rural Schools Collaborative (RSC). This was the first site visit to a program belonging to the Rural Educator Ecosystem: Community of Learners, a collaborative initiative that strengthens rural teacher pipelines through local partnerships and place-based strategies. The Community of Learners connects rural education leaders, teacher preparation programs, and philanthropic partners in a shared effort to uplift rural schools.

The airport terminal is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, shown proudly through the floor-to-ceiling windows. In the foreground is a residential development at the foothills. What is striking is just how small the houses look in the shadow of the towering stone effigies looming over them. To those living there, it is just a neighborhood. To me, it looks like Lego Land. Perspective is an amazing thing. Our conclave of rural educators offered a similar perspective on what “rural” means.

We tend to use the term “rural” as an all-encompassing description of what really is a very diverse and unique geography in the U.S. In the Ozarks where I live, a very “small” school district might have 200-300 students. In Montana, there are still 62 single-or-double room school districts that might have 30-40 students. Missouri has 562 school districts in a state with 6.2 million residents. Meanwhile, Montana has a total population of 1.2 million and 519 school districts, of which 94.6% are classified as “small rural”. Even within their largely rural state, each community has its own unique history, values, culture and topography. One of RSC’s core beliefs is the importance of place-based education reflecting the attitudes, beliefs, and ideals of those small places.

Although I did note many differences between the rural areas of our two states, there were two shared experiences: First, our small towns value their children and their futures, and are willing to invest in them, and second: we struggle mightily with teacher shortages in our remote places. I suspect those are shared among all rural areas of our country.

The Center for Rural Research on Education at MSU hosts RSC’s Montana Hub. The Center is a national leader in teacher preparation, research, and support for rural education. Dr. Jayne Downey, Director for Montana State University’s Center for Research on Rural Education, leads RSC’s Montana Hub. They are doing some groundbreaking work on helping to address the rural teacher shortage through their Rural Teachers Pathway Initiative.

An additional program presentation on MentorMT was equally as impressive. Experienced mentors are matched with new teachers according to similar grade level and disciplines for the two-year program period. Mentors are paid through a grant received at the state level, and facilitate a minimum of two sessions monthly with their mentee. In addition, there are cohort-wide educational activities providing additional resources.

The program is structured utilizing their Partners in Practice model, and according to the MentorMT website: “Partners in Practice activities (PIPs) are bite-sized modules that guide partners through a structured professional learning experience. Each PIP is presented in three stages: Exploration, Collaboration, and Application and results in new learning or a tangible product.” Each mentorship also has the support of a Metamentor that offers additional support to the partnership and helps to oversee and coordinate. Funding is also available to provide travel expenses for at least one in-person session during the school year. Montana is a large state, and logistics can be challenging.

At MSU, Dr. Jennifer Luebeck introduced a panel of teacher mentors and mentees showcasing the work of the statewide initiative. The mentees extolled the help and support of their mentors, and how beneficial having such a safe space to ask questions, seek advice, and sometimes just vent is. They also shared their appreciation for the accessibility of their mentor, and how often they reached out with questions and/or advice on many matters – far in excess of the required monthly minimum. From what we heard from the actual participants, the program is certainly reaching its objectives.

Ultimately, though, the rural teacher shortage will only start to narrow by building a pipeline of teachers, and by promoting the benefits of teaching in our rural areas. One of the MSU graduates who grew up in Denver shared with us why she loved teaching in a rural district. “I go to the store, and see parents and neighbors who know me, and thank me for being a teacher. I feel valued, and don’t know if I would feel that same way in a big city.” Her perspective changed on what “rural” really is and how much she now embraces and appreciates her newfound “home.”

I have had the privilege of attending several RSC events over the years, and always come back inspired by the creativity, passion, and care for students demonstrated by the practitioners and policy makers in our rural places. Although the challenges for our rural schools loom as large as the mountains I now look upon, I leave this special place filled with hope and inspiration. The commitment I witnessed in Bozeman mirrors efforts I have seen in other parts of our country that are doing the important work of building our nation’s future through investing in students.

It is a privilege to see and work with our amazing staff at Rural Schools Collaborative who support the work of Regional Hubs through the rural United States. Our rural places across the country are as unique and diverse as are cities, but are bound together in their recognition of the importance of strong schools with effective teachers for the health and vibrancy of their community, whether 40 or 400 students.

Special thanks to RSC Board Chair Brian Fogle for providing his reflections on rural teacher corps and the first site visit for the Community of Learners. Rural Teacher Corps are intentional efforts to recruit, prepare, and retain rural teacher-leaders. These 20+ programs work together to tackle the rural teacher shortage. Learn more here.