Boise State Gets $8 Million Grant for Teacher Program
Project TRAIL will place residency-trained teachers in nine rural Idaho districts to address persistent staffing gaps.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Financial Aid
Live Poll
Do you think Idaho schools are doing enough to keep new teachers from leaving?
Boise State University's College of Education has received an $8 million Teacher Quality Partnership grant from the U.S. Department of Education to fund Project TRAIL, a Teacher Residency Academy for Induction and Leadership. The program will run 75 teachers through a paid, full-time residency over three years in nine rural Idaho districts.
Why it matters
Around 2,000 teaching vacancies must be filled in Idaho every year, according to a 2023 report from the Idaho State Board of Education. Induction support is intended to reduce burnout among new teachers, which research links to leaving the profession.
The grant is an $8 million Teacher Quality Partnership award from the U.S. Department of Education. Project TRAIL converts the usually unpaid professional year into a paid, full-time residency for 75 teachers.
The players
Boise State University
Boise State University is a public research university in Boise, Idaho, whose College of Education received the federal grant to run Project TRAIL.
U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education is the federal agency that awarded the $8 million Teacher Quality Partnership grant.
The details
Student teachers must first be accepted into a master's program in the College of Education, then submit written and video essays assessing their suitability for teaching. Parma, Kuna and Caldwell are among the nine rural districts that will hire graduates of the program.
Timeline
Over the next three years, Project TRAIL will run 75 teachers through the residency program.
After graduation, participants will be placed in nine rural Idaho districts.
Season Trajectory
Teacher residency models of this kind are designed to replace the traditionally unpaid student-teaching year with paid placement. Project TRAIL applies that approach across nine rural Idaho districts facing recurring vacancies.
Students pursuing a master's in elementary, second education or special education at Boise State may apply to Project TRAIL. Paid residency could reduce the financial burden of the usually unpaid professional year.
The takeaway
Graduates of paid residency programs in rural districts can help build school cultures that encourage other teachers to stay, which may ease Idaho's recurring staffing shortfalls.
Further reading
For related context, explore Financial Aid coverage across Idaho.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Arbiter.
Live Poll
Do you think Idaho schools are doing enough to keep new teachers from leaving?
