The Teacher Ranger Teacher (TRT) program is an extended professional development opportunity for educators from K-12 schools to learn about the resources and educational materials available through the National Park Service. The emphasis of this program is to link NPS sites and teachers from schools with underserved student populations in urban and rural school districts. The program offers teachers a unique opportunity to infuse their teaching skills with NPS-based Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education resources and the use of primary sources and place-based learning.
Teacher Ranger Teacher Update
In 2024, the National Park Service completed a program evaluation of the Teacher Ranger Teacher (TRT) program to inform the future of teacher professional development. This assessment identified opportunities to strengthen the program through strategic partnerships and actions to build a strong foundation for the next iteration of the program. This program will not run in 2026 as we work to implement these refinements. We look forward to sharing updates in December 2026 as our work progresses.
In the meantime, we encourage teachers to explore other opportunities for meaningful connections with National Park Service sites such as site-based professional development workshops and volunteer positions.
Program Goals
The emphasis of this program is to link NPS sites and teachers from schools with underserved student populations in urban and rural school districts. Program goals include:
- Provide teachers with place-based learning experiences.
- Provide access to the rich resources of the national parks for inclusion into classrooms curricula.
- Provide teachers with new knowledge and skills related to the resources and themes interpreted by the National Park Service.
- Increase outreach to underserved students in rural and urban areas focusing on Title I and tribal schools.
The Teacher Ranger Teacher Experience
Activities and Benefits
- Engage with National Park Service sites and resources
- Participate in a webinar about lesson planning
- Develop at least one lesson to be used in their classroom or school
- Assist the park with an education project
- Increase their understanding of place-based learning
Teacher Ranger Teachers (TRTs) spend 9 weeks in the summer season learning and completing a project at a national park site. The vast majority of teachers who participate in the program are recruited by NPS units that are located within commuting distance of their home or school. Funding for the program does not cover housing or long-distance travel. Most parks are not able to offer housing to teachers in the program.
TRTs perform tasks that vary with their interests and the needs of the park. TRTs spend most of their time engaging with park education projects, learning about park operations and resources with park staff, and developing lesson plans to use in their classrooms and in the park with students. Their experience will also include exposure to a variety of work performed in national park units by employees from many career fields in the service.
When TRTs return to the schools in the fall, they spend part of their classroom time presenting their TRT projects to their own students and to a wider education audience. Although not a requirement of the TRT program, we hope that TRTs will engage their students in subsequent school years in NPS education programming, including an onsite field trip.
Questions?
Contact information for each TRT host site is available in the 2024 TRT sites list.
For questions about the overall Teacher Ranger Teacher program, please email e-mail us.
Last updated: January 6, 2026