Anisa Goforth, a University of Montana psychology professor, has secured a $3.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to address the shortage of school psychologists in rural Montana, particularly in tribal communities. The grant will fund the RAISE initiative, which aims to train cohorts of new school psychologists to work in Montana schools. The program will create a pipeline from high school through UM’s school psychology graduate program and provide mentorship to Salish-Kootenai College undergrads. The grant will pay full tuition for three cohorts of school psychology graduates who will commit to working in Montana for at least two years after graduation.
The initiative is crucial in addressing the shortage of school psychologists in rural Montana, where schools are required by law to make psychology services available to students. The focus is on ensuring that psychologists working with Indigenous children in Montana have proper cultural sensitivity education. Goforth aims to train more Indigenous psychologists and educate non-Indigenous psychologists on how to work effectively with Indigenous children. Applications for fall 2025 are now open, and Goforth has seen significant interest in the program.
Source
Photo credit missoulian.com
