Border Crossings: Montana and North Dakota Team Up to Bring History Workshops to Rural Teachers

In a region where "going to a conference" can mean a six-hour drive through empty prairie, two state historical societies are bringing professional development directly to the teachers who need it most.

The Montana Historical Society and the State Historical Society of North Dakota have joined forces to deliver a series of workshops designed specifically for social studies educators working in the vast border region between the two states. And here's the best part: they're completely free, with travel, lodging, and stipends covered.

The collaboration addresses what anyone who's ever taught in eastern Montana or western North Dakota already knows—professional development opportunities tend to cluster around population centers, leaving rural educators with long drives and limited options. This initiative flips that script, targeting teachers within roughly 250 miles of the state line on either side.

The inaugural workshop kicked off in Sidney this October, bringing 20 educators together for "Historical Thinking through Indigenous Histories." Participants dove into tribal histories of the upper Great Plains using primary sources from the Northern Cheyenne, Crow, and Lakota nations—material that aligns with both North Dakota's Native American Essential Understandings and Montana's Indian Education for All standards.

The response? One teacher captured it perfectly: "I've never enjoyed a professional development opportunity so much. Everything was presented in an engaging and exciting way. The instructors had amazing energy, and I'm already looking forward to their next workshop."

That next workshop is coming soon. A virtual session on December 12 will reinforce and expand on the October content, designed for educators who can't make the travel work. Then in March, the series heads to Dickinson, North Dakota, for a two-day intensive (March 16-17) focused on evaluating student historical research projects, with a bonus opportunity to judge at the regional National History Day competition.

The workshops are made possible through the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Great Plains Region grant, coordinated by the National Council for History Education. Since 2006, the TPS program has built a nationwide network supporting educators in using the Library's digitized primary sources to build critical thinking skills.

For grades 6-12 social studies teachers in the region, this is a rare opportunity to get quality training without burning through personal funds or vacation days. Registration is open now at ndstudies.gov/curriculum/teacher-resources/workshops/teacher-workshops.

For more information about Montana History Day, visit nationalhistorydaymt.org or email [email protected]. Questions about National History Day in North Dakota? Contact [email protected] or visit ndstudies.gov/curriculum/teacher-resources/national-history-day.