Rural Teacher Corps Spotlight: Montana State University Advances Rural Education Through Research, Teacher Preparation and Support, & Statewide Partnerships

Across Montana, rural schools are not the exception; they are the norm. With nearly 75% of schools and over 90% of districts classified as small or rural, the demands placed on educators are both diverse and highly specific to rural life. At Montana State University, the response to these realities is led by the Center for Research on Rural Education (CRRE), a national leader in rural teacher preparation, research, and support.

CRRE, directed by Dr. Jayne Downey, serves as the anchor for RSC’s Montana Hub. Grounded in Montana State University’s land-grant mission, the Center has been working since 2015 to address the challenges facing small, rural, and remote schools through coordinated research, service, and educator preparation. In 2025, the CRRE expanded its national engagement by joining the Rural Schools Collaborative Rural Educator Ecosystem: Community of Learners initiative, further connecting Montana’s work to a broader network of rural teacher corps programs across the country.

The CRRE is driven by a commitment to ensuring that every rural student has access to high-quality education, regardless of geography. Through faculty and graduate student research, the Center examines the realities of rural schooling while actively developing solutions that respond to local needs. 

The CRRE supports a broad ecosystem of rural education initiatives focused on service, research, and workforce development through the Advancing Support, Preparation, & Innovation in Rural Education (ASPIRE) project. This includes the Rural Teacher Pathways initiative, Montana State University’s Rural Teacher Corps. Designed around research showing the importance of early and repeated rural classroom experience, the program provides undergraduate teacher candidates with up to four clinical placements in rural schools. These immersive experiences help future educators build confidence, competence, and long-term commitment to rural teaching careers.

Beyond teacher preparation, the Center also supports grant-funded efforts to strengthen student mental health through the Youth Aware of Mental Health program and to expand counselor preparation pathways through the Rural Mental Health Preparation Practice Pathway. Together, these initiatives reflect a holistic approach to rural education that recognizes the interconnected needs of students, educators, and school communities.

The Center also strengthens early-career educators through MentorMT, an innovative mentoring network that pairs new or newly assigned rural teachers with experienced Montana educators. Mentors and mentees are matched by subject and grade level. Then, through individualized coaching focused on content instruction, classroom practice, and well-being, MentorMT helps ensure that teachers serving rural schools receive support specific to their situation.

Complementing these efforts is the Rural Teaching Resource Hub, which provides streamlined access to information about licensure and endorsement pathways across all Montana’s educator preparation programs. This system helps reduce barriers for rural teachers seeking certification and helps districts recruit and retain qualified educators.

Through its combination of research, clinical preparation, mentoring, and statewide coordination, the Center for Research on Rural Education addresses rural teacher shortages from multiple angles at once. Montana teachers are more than prepared for classrooms; with support from the Center, they are supported and sustained through a connected network of programs and partnerships.

In Montana, where rural education is not a trend to be followed but a promise to be kept, this work is essential. By linking research to practice and preparation to ongoing support, Montana State University is strengthening rural schools through a model built on collaboration, evidence, and deep respect for place.

This spotlight series highlights Rural Teacher Corps. 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 about the Montana State University ASPIRE Program and the Rural Teacher Corps Learning Network here.