In Fall 2025, Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) and the University of Montana’s Learning and Belonging (LAB) School launched a co-teaching pilot that brings classroom teachers, university faculty, and pre-service educators together. The partnership is grounded in a shared vision: to create inclusive, innovative classrooms that demonstrate best practice across grade levels and provide meaningful professional learning for educators.

• Co-Teaching Collaboration – MCPS and LAB School teachers co-plan and co-teach, modeling inclusive practices that meet the diverse needs of students using the Building Blocks curriculum framework.

• Learning Walks – Educators, administrators, and pre-service teachers are invited into classrooms to observe high-quality instruction in action.

• Shared Professional Growth – Teachers engage in reflection, coaching, and problem-solving across district and university contexts, strengthening professional learning communities.

• For children: Inclusive, responsive classrooms that nurture every learner.

•  For teachers: Opportunities to grow through collaboration, coaching, and embedded professional development.

•  For pre-service educators: A living laboratory that connects theory to practice.

•  For the community: A demonstration of what’s possible when higher education and public schools work side-by-side.

The LAB School serves as both a teaching site and a research setting. Together, UM and MCPS are testing, documenting, and refining practices that can be shared broadly as models for PreK–Grade 3 classrooms across Montana.

This pilot year is just the beginning. Insights from the co-teaching partnership will shape future district-wide collaborations and inform statewide demonstrations of inclusive early learning.