NSF grant helps retain rural Montana STEM teachers

“The next generation needs to look at the world with a lens of wonder,” said Quinlivan, who sees his teaching career as a way to both share his love for science and help children in extra need of support. “I think the sciences can either cultivate that or kill it, depending on how they’re taught.”

Quinlivan has worked in the rural school district for 14 years. He teaches courses for middle and high school students including physical science, biology, physics, chemistry and labs in STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math.

In addition to his heavy teaching course load, this year he also completed a master’s degree in education through Montana State University.

MSU received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Scholarship Program in 2024 to support a project called the Noyce Master Teacher Fellowship for Rural and American Indian School Educators as STEM Leaders. The project, which seeks to improve the number, quality and experience of STEM teachers in rural states like Montana, funded Quinlivan’s tuition. It also is supporting 26 other Montana teachers through the six-year fellowship. Some of the fellows already have master’s degrees but are still in the program for the professional development, networking opportunities and stipend it provides.

The participants, who were already working as Montana teachers, received tuition for master’s degrees and other resources such as monthly group check-ins, funding for travel to relevant conferences and a weeklong in-person gathering at MSU each summer.

This August, the gathering provided a chance for fellows to present their master’s research, attend informational sessions at the STEM Summer Institute and Montana Council of Teachers of Mathematics MCubed conferences held at MSU the same week, and participate in a team-bonding activity of rafting on the Madison River.

The opportunity for the 27 teacher fellows to gather in person is of huge value and aligns with the goals of the program, said Fenqjen Luo, professor of education in MSU’s College of Education, Health and Human Development and principal investigator on the grant. It provides a chance for them to learn from each other and cut through the isolation and loneliness that can sometimes impact people teaching in rural areas.

Overall, Luo said, the goal of the program is to support and retain teachers in rural Montana — especially those who are already serving as leaders and mentors of other teachers in their schools.

Data from the Institute of Education Sciences about Montana shows that more than half of school districts report difficulty filling positions, and there are hundreds of teacher vacancies across the state. Additionally, upwards of 30% of teachers will change careers within five years of starting their teaching job.

Luo said that in eastern and other rural pockets of Montana, many math teachers come from countries including the Philippines, India and Ghana. That is due to state incentives because there are simply not enough American math teachers in rural Montana to meet the demand.

Luo, who previously taught in a small village in Taiwan, shared the same challenge as the Montana teachers: feeling unable to forge connections or find support systems because there were few other teachers around.

That is exactly what the Noyce fellowship aims to address. One teacher, Bill Becker, said that a week of being surrounded by like-minded teachers who are professionally motivated to better themselves was “very rejuvenating.” He teaches mathematics and advanced electives at Ronan Public Schools on the Flathead Reservation.

Sometimes, due to stressors of the job, the teaching environment can be negative and unmotivating, Becker said, but being with the group of fellows was a breath of fresh air for him.

While on campus, he was able to exchange ideas with other teachers from Montana to benefit his classroom. Specifically, he presented his place-based lesson plan centered around the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal flag and its unique designs, customizable to many grade levels. Not only do students learn about the cultural significance of the flag, they are exposed to mathematical equations. For example, by plugging in different numbers into the equation of a circle, students see how the circle changes size and position on the flag.

Becker’s presentation then pointed teachers to the starter templates he created for the other tribal flags in Montana for use in their own math classes.

Quinlivan also shared his master’s thesis project, centered on his efforts to bring 3D printing into his science classroom. A grant enabled his purchase of two 3D printers in 2025, and his sophomore biology class has used them to learn about the classification of different animals and print the structures of viruses, bacteria and protozoa.

Quinlivan said it has been a great way to bring students who have more of an art mindset into the sciences and also expose them to computer technology that could help them in future careers.

“I have learned so much about effective teaching methods through the MSSE program that I believe I am already seeing positive changes in my classroom,” he added.

Connie Michael, a fifth grade all-subject teacher at Crow Agency Public School, said the fellowship has helped her build bridges between other science and math teachers in her district and throughout the state. Having that network is important to her, especially since she started her career at a more populated district in Washington state before moving to the rural district. She has now been a teacher for 35 years.

In 2025, Michael won a $27,000 award from Voya Financials in recognition of the caliber of her teaching, which funded her project to integrate Native American knowledge into STEM curriculum. She was able to share some of her teaching strategies in conversations with others at MSU.

“Having the opportunity to talk with other teachers in similar situations and share strategies is so important, and we are able to share opportunities for professional development that we may not be aware of,” Michael said. “I have built some good relationships with teachers from across the state and hope to continue to build on those so we can share ideas and learn from each other.”