The National Park Service (NPS) strives to provide opportunities for all Americans to connect to their national heritage through the national parks. However, these opportunities are lacking for some — often due to a variety of social and economic factors. The Teacher to Ranger to Teacher (TRT) Program offers a solution by linking National Park units with teachers from predominantly Title 1 (at least 30% of students on free or reduced cost meals) school districts.
Under TRT, selected teachers spend the summer working as park rangers, often living in the park. They perform various duties depending on their interests and the needs of the park, including developing and presenting interpretive programs for the general public, staffing the visitor center desk, developing curriculum-based materials for the park, or taking on special projects.
Then, during the school year, these Teacher Rangers bring the parks into the classroom by developing and presenting curriculum-based lesson plans that draw on their summer’s experience. In April, during National Park Week, Teacher Rangers wear their NPS uniforms to school, discuss their summer as a park ranger, and engage students and other teachers in activities that relate to America’s national parks.
This is made possible through an Inter-governmental Personnel Act Agreement (IPA) between the public school district and the National Park Service. The program is also open to private/independent schools if the school is a non-profit organizaton (501c3 – tax exempt).
Many park areas have TRT opportunities for summer 2011. Each region has a TRT coordinator who can respond to your general questions. Because each park is unique and has special TRT projects, there is no centralized application. Application deadlines vary by park. Apply for 2011 summer opportunities now!
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