Preparing Educators for the Future of North Dakota: Impacts of the Rural Student Teaching Experience

The ND-ACES Rural Student Teaching Experience (RSTE) provides early career teachers with mentorship and financial support while they complete their 1-semester student teaching internship. The RSTE encourages teacher candidates to complete these internships in small schools and communities in North Dakota. The financial support RSTE participants receive helps to offset the cost of living while they live and work in these areas. The mentorship program is designed to encourage self-reflection and help induct new teachers into the profession. Early career teachers benefit from close mentoring relationships with experienced educators. Prior research has shown that effective mentoring can help new teachers transition into their classrooms. It may also help them to be successful in their first few years, contributing to teacher retention in schools and persistence in the profession. Since the program started in Fall 2021, 26 early career teachers have participated in the program. This poster summarizes the activities of the RSTE program to date. It includes profiles of the early career teachers who are participating in the program for Fall 2024 and discusses the overall impact of the program on the teaching workforce in North Dakota.