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How does MentorMT align with state agencies, organizations, and policies?

  • MentorMT has a long history of partnership with the Montana Office of Public Instruction as (1) primary partner in the first iteration of the mentoring program; (2) host of MentorMT’s virtual Home Base on the Teacher Learning Hub platform; (3) contractee of mentor services for up to 100 teachers engaged in OPI programs.
  • The MentorMT framework contributed to the Montana Board of Public Education’s 2023 expansion of guidelines for mentoring and induction (ARM 10.55.723). In 2024, these guidelines also informed expanded school accreditation criteria.
  • MentorMT promotion and recruitment materials are distributed through networks within the School Administrators of Montana, the Montana Federation of Public Employees, and various K-12 disciplinary groups. MentorMT has also presented at SAM and MFPE conferences.
  • The MentorMT program is funded through grants and contracts held by the Center for Research on Rural Education at Montana State University-Bozeman.

 

What is the history behind MentorMT?

  • 1993-1999: The Systemic Teacher Excellence Project, a $6.6 million NSF grant to MSU, included a component to provide “at least 2 years of early career support for mathematics and science teachers in a rural setting.” With the World Wide Web barely a concept at that time, mentors communicated with their mentees by typing text (if they were fortunate enough to have a computer) and via fax and U.S. mail.
  • 2002-2009:e-Mentoring for Student Success, a $7.7 million NSF grant shared by MSU and the New Teacher Center at UC-Santa Cruz, supported “effective sustained professional development of novice teachers using an innovative, disciplinary, content-specific distance-delivery model.” With the Internet now an integral part of education, e-MSS developed a variety of Web-based mentoring strategies, materials, and networks.
  • 2019-2024: The Montana Rural Teacher Project, a $6.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, reinvigorated MSU’s Master of Arts in Teaching program and provided fellowships for three cohorts of teacher candidates. The first iteration of Mentor MT was designed to support these teachers during their first two years of teaching in rural schools. Zoom and Google brought new opportunities for virtual connection.
  • 2021-2026: The ASPIRE Project (Advancing Support, Preparation, and Innovation in Rural Education), a $4.5 million grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, includes a rural mentoring component that enabled MentorMT to broaden its scope to enroll new or underprepared rural teachers with widely varying backgrounds and licensure statuses. Mentor partners now add FaceTime and social media to their communication options.

 

How does the design of MentorMT align with current research and practice?

  • MentorMT is a research-informed, distance-delivered program designed to support new or underprepared K-12 educators in rural and remote communities. You may wonder how mentoring can be successful between partners who are hours and/or hundreds of miles apart. We know it’s possible - we’ve seen it! One secret to our success: MentorMT mentors focus on relationship and on instructional support that is specific to content and grade level. Debra Myer’s blog post What Makes a Great Mentor Teacher? outlines an excellent distinction between mentoring and induction. While some elements of induction must be handled locally, mentoring is based on empathy and expertise – and those qualities transfer well across the miles.  
  • MentorMT addresses many of the unique challenges facing rural teachers nationwide. These include lack of qualified mentors; misalignment of mentor and mentee teaching assignments; the multiple roles held by rural teachers; personal and professional isolation; and difficulties in providing meaningful professional development. (Hayes, L., Lachlan-Hache, L., & Williams, H. 10 Mentoring and Induction Challenges in Rural Schools and How to Address Them (2019). Center on Great Teachers & Leaders at the American Institutes for Research.)
  • MentorMT emphasizes people over procedures in our approach to supporting both mentees and their mentors. We are intentional regarding the selection, role, and ongoing growth of mentors; we equip mentors to attend to the professional and personal needs of new teachers; and we implement a multi-level system of support at both the individual and community level. (Mentoring New Teachers: A Fresh Look (2018). Educator Effectiveness: Southern Regional Education Board.)