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The main purpose of this research study was to explore if and how rural Indiana high school teachers might function as policy actors for the Twenty-First Century Scholars (21CS) program. The three research questions that guided this study were: 1) In what ways do selected Indiana high school teachers working at rural schools interpret and translate the 21CS program that would indicate that they may function as policy actors? 2) How do selected rural Indiana high school teachers interpret the 21CS program policies based on their individual experiences and perspectives? and 3) How do these teachers translate their understandings of the 21CS with students and others interested in the program? To answer these questions, constructivist grounded theory was used. Thirteen teachers from different rural high schools in Indiana participated. The outcome of this study was a grounded model named Rural High School Teachers as Policy Actors model (RHSTPA) detailing how participants serve as policy actors for 21CS. Within RHSTPA the combined themes of connection type and belief levels in students gave way to participants’ confidence or lack of confidence in 21CS requirements and accountability systems built into and for 21CS. With the culmination of these categories serving as a catalyst to determine how Indiana high school teachers working at rural schools functioned as a Policy Actor, the key category in the RHSTPA model. Participants’ engagement as policy actors ranged from completing small, school-directed tasks to actively advocating for the program, such as volunteering personal time to reach out to parents and promote 21CS outside of work hours. This spectrum of involvement underscores the diversity in how teachers interact with policy and highlights the potential for increased support to encourage more proactive engagement.