Education

Montana’s labor department projects a need to fill more than 4,000 jobs in education and childcare each year, mostly due to workers leaving the industry.

MTPR visited two Bitterroot Valley classrooms last month where students were learning what it takes to raise rainbow trout and keep fisheries in good health. MTPR’s Austin Amestoy returned to Hamilton as the students released their trout into a local pond.

Along the banks of the Clark Fork River, students are identifying all kinds of “macro-invertebrates” — aka, bugs — that live in the river. The data is one clue scientists use to determine the health of a watershed, along with other indicators like appearance and chemical makeup.

A new nationwide study of school cell phone bans found some improvement in student well-being, but no improvement in test scores.

In all but a handful of communities Tuesday, voters in western and central Montana soundly defeated their public schools’ requests to help pay for big expenses.

A new nationwide report shows Montana is one of just six states that doesn’t have a preschool program.

Education nonprofits and advocates say the state isn’t investing enough in Montana’s schools. Earlier this month, they proposed a $1.7 billion plan to state lawmakers that would boost education funding.

Montana University System officials have unanimously agreed to hire Jeremiah Shinn as the University of Montana’s next president.

The University of Montana’s presidential finalist Jeremiah Shinn is in Missoula this week. Shinn participated in a public forum on campus Monday afternoon. The value of a liberal arts education was raised repeatedly.

Trout are prized and ubiquitous residents of Montana’s waterways. They’re less commonly found in the classroom – unless you know where to look. In the Bitterroot Valley, some students are getting a hands-on lesson in what it takes to raise rainbow trout.