Rural Schools Collaborative

ICYMI: We recently announced our 2024-25 National Signature Project Award recipients! Learn more about their projects here:

Proudly Announcing our 2024-25 National Signature Project Award… The National Rural Education Association and Rural Schools Collaborative award five outstanding rural educators for this year’s National Signature Project!

What will you do in the ? Whether you’re only in Savannah for the or planning an extended stay, there is something for everyone to enjoy! We have compiled a list of popular attractions and local dives for you on NFARE's website, including video footage and links to learn more:

Explore the #NFARECity | National Rural Education Association Explore the : Savannah What will you do in the ? Whether your ideal pace is strolling around the famous Forsyth fountain or a night of cabaret and karaoke, Savannah provides the perfect playground. History buffs swarm Savannah, taking in the rich, significant sites like Old Fort....

Exciting news for Pennsylvania's future educators! The 2024-25 state budget has doubled funding for student teacher stipends, adding $20 million to support aspiring teachers. This significant victory is a testament to the bipartisan effort to address the teacher shortage. Let's keep supporting our future educators!

We are thrilled to announce the five outstanding rural educators awarded with the 2024-25 National Signature Project Award, in partnership with the National Rural Education Association (NREA). Learn more about their projects:

Proudly Announcing our 2024-25 National Signature Project Award… The National Rural Education Association and Rural Schools Collaborative award five outstanding rural educators for this year’s National Signature Project!

ICYMI: The Program for Research and Evaluation for Public Schools (PREPS), housed at William Carey University, an RSC Regional Hub partner in our Mississippi Hub, recently awarded four teachers the honor of Mississippi Rural Teacher of the Year. This feature spotlights the innovative programs created and led by the overall state winner, Todd Willis, an innovative 3rd grade Teacher at Coldwater Elementary School in Tate County, MS. Congratulations, Todd! Read more about Todd's story:

Todd Willis - Tate County, MS Highlighting the innovative programs created and led by Mississippi Rural Teacher of the Year winner, Todd Willis, an innovative 3rd grade Teacher at…

New America released a comprehensive update to their 2020 report, Grow Your Own Teachers: A 50-State Scan of Policies and Programs. This updated resource includes the most recent information about state policies and funding for GYO programs, details on select programs in every state, and new findings from our national survey. Learn more:

Grow Your Own Teachers This brief presents the findings of a 50-state scan designed to identify programs and to investigate state policies that support GYO program

The Program for Research and Evaluation for Public Schools (PREPS), housed at William Carey University, an RSC Regional Hub partner in our Mississippi Hub, recently awarded four teachers the honor of Mississippi Rural Teacher of the Year. This feature spotlights the innovative programs created and led by the overall state winner, Todd Willis, an innovative 3rd grade Teacher at Coldwater Elementary School in Tate County, MS. Congratulations, Todd!

Todd Willis - Tate County, MS Highlighting the innovative programs created and led by Mississippi Rural Teacher of the Year winner, Todd Willis, an innovative 3rd grade Teacher at…

Yesterday, RSC's Iowa Regional Hub partners, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, hosted their annual Rural Teacher Summit, “Thriving in the River of Change." This event brought together rural teachers from all around Dubuque, IA. to gather for learning, conversation, and comradery. More about the fun day coming soon!

Rural Schools Collaborative is seeking a dedicated and passionate rural advocate to join our team as the Project Coordinator! This position will support our programs while taking the lead on social media communications. Please share or apply today: https://ruralschoolscollaborative.org/news/were-hiring-rsc-project-coordinator

Community foundations play a crucial role in strengthening rural areas by fostering local philanthropy and addressing unique community needs. Our partners, like the Galesburg Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, and Community Foundation of the Ozarks, are prime examples of this impactful work. Their dedication helps drive positive change, support local initiatives, and ensure a brighter future for rural communities.

Small-Town Philanthropies Banking on Great Wealth Transfer | The Daily Yonder In the next 20 years, about $84 trillion will change hands from one generation to the next, and small-town philanthropies hope to capture some of that

Whether you’re a new or experienced rural administrator or educator, a researcher, policymaker, business or community leader, our pre-conference is designed for anyone seeking to make research and data more relevant and actionable, and to hone your advocacy skills for positive change. Join us on October 30 in Savannah for the 2024 National Forum to Advance Rural Education Pre-Conference: https://www.nrea.net/nfare/about-the-event

Congratulations to our New England Regional Hub Partner, University of Maine, on a new grant to support rural STEM teachers! UMaine is one of RSC's 2023-2024 Catalyst Grant awardees who received a $25,000 planning grant to strengthen their Rural Teacher Corps efforts that recruit, prepare, and retain rural educators. We're so proud of their continued progress! Read the full article:

UMaine receives NSF award to help rural schools recruit, educate and train STEM teachers - UMaine News - University of Maine With rural schools facing significant shortages of highly-qualified teachers, particularly those in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development will use a grant from the National Science Foundation to boost suppor...

We've had another busy month, here at Rural Schools Collaborative! Be sure to catch our latest newsletter, a snapshot of our June in review, as well as celebrating partner awards, sharing resources, and more! Read more: https://mailchi.mp/6e8efa54fd6a/june-in-review

Congratulations to the new 2024 Arkansas Teacher Corps Cohort!

🌻 What You Tend Will Grow 🌻

This is our theme for the ATC 2024 Summer Institute and is a perfect caption for the 2024 cohort, our largest cohort to date. We have been intentional about growing our corps over the last few years, and our efforts have paid off.

🌱 While only 20 fellows attended summer institute in 2021, our annual cohorts grew to 36 in 2022, 38 in 2023, and now 44 in 2024!

🌿 Our total enrollment has grown from 42 fellows in the 2021-22 school year to 97 in 2024-25, a 130% increase!

🍀 Moreover, our cohorts are increasingly more diverse than the average Arkansas educator workforce with 86% of the 2024 cohort identifying as people of color, 83% placed in the Arkansas delta, 80% native Arkansans, 64% from a low-income community, and 44% first-generation college students.

Check out our website to learn more about the 2024 Cohort: https://www.arkansasteachercorps.org/about/2024-cohort/

ICYMI: The 2nd annual RSC Regional Hub Summit, hosted by our Indiana & Great Lakes Regional Hub partners, Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning and generous support from TNTP, brought together partners from across RSC’s Regional Hub Network. To learn more about the summit, read more here:

2024 Rural Schools Collaborative Regional Hub Summit On June 12th, partners from across the RSC network convened in Indianapolis for a day of conversation, relationship building, and collaboration.

Rural Schools Collaborative is seeking a dedicated and passionate rural advocate to join our team as a project coordinator! This position will support our programs while taking the lead on social media communications. Please share or apply today! Learn more: https://ruralschoolscollaborative.org/news/were-hiring-rsc-project-coordinator

ICYMI: The 2024 Celebration of Learning, co-hosted by our partners Teton Science Schools, featured 17 rural teachers from across our Regional Hub network, who carried out innovative Place-Based Education projects in their communities during the 2023-24 school year. Hear from these incredible rural educators about their experiences, and how their students made a difference in their rural places. Many thanks to our Regional Hub partners for connecting us with rural educators in their regions for the Grants in Places awards! Catch the recording:

2024 Grants in Place Celebration of Learning The Celebration of Learning features 17 rural teachers who were awarded grants to do a Place-Based Education project that connected their classrooms and…

The is one of the country’s leading rural education conferences. Reserve your spot and join hundreds of practitioners in Savannah on Oct. 31-Nov.1. Learn more & REGISTER now: nrea.net/nfare

Congrats to our board member, Nancy Van Milligen, President and CEO of Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, for this well-deserved honor!

In early June, Rural Schools Collaborative hosted our 2nd annual Regional Hub Summit bringing together members of the Regional Hub network, thought partners, and staff and board members. This second-annual Regional Hub Summit was graciously hosted by RSC’s Indiana & Great Lakes Regional Hub partners at the University of Indianapolis Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL), with additional support from MADE at Plainfield, TNTP, and the National Rural Education Association (NREA). Partners came together from across the country to join in community, share ideas and knowledge, and build relationships that will continue to spur collaboration and progress for our united vision of thriving rural schools and communities.
To learn more about the summit, including highlights of the presentations and ideas about RSC’s future, read more here: https://ruralschoolscollaborative.org/stories/2024-rural-schools-collaborative-regional-hub-summit

Melissa Sadorf is passionate about rural Arizona educators, schools and beyond. Melissa, serves as our Arizona Regional Hub contact and is a dedicated supporter of our mission! Her passion and unwavering support continues to make a difference in Arizona and beyond. Thank you, Melissa, for being an incredible partner in our journey!

Join Rural Schools Collaborative as we take time to celebrate the incredible diversity & resilience within the LGBTQ+ community. We honor the journey toward equality and stand together in support and solidarity. We encourage everyone to continue to share their stories, spread love, and be proud. ❤️ Our recent e-newsletter shared a few resources, be sure to check it out and subscribe for content and more: https://mailchi.mp/c4be0a2a83fb/grants-in-place-celebration-of-learning-2024

The 2024 Celebration of Learning, co-hosted by our partners Teton Science Schools, featured 17 rural teachers from across our Regional Hub network, who carried out innovative Place-Based Education projects in their communities during the 2023-24 school year. Hear from these incredible rural educators about their experiences, and how their students made a difference in their rural places. Many thanks to our Regional Hub partners for connecting us with rural educators in their regions for the Grants in Places awards! https://ruralschoolscollaborative.org/stories/2024-grants-in-place-celebration-of-learning
Eastern Oregon University
California State University, Chico
North State Together
Arizona Rural Schools Association
Kansas State University
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
Monmouth College
Galesburg Community Foundation
Community Foundation of the Ozarks
Missouri State University
Rural Community Alliance
Arkansas Teacher Corps
Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning
Morehead State University
The University of West Alabama
Mississippi Rural Education Association - MSREA
East Carolina University
University of Maine

2024 Grants in Place Celebration of Learning The Celebration of Learning features 17 rural teachers who were awarded grants to do a Place-Based Education project that connected their classrooms and…

Crafted with empathy, a hyper-real reporting lens and skillfully lush cinematography, North Putnam depicts a year in the life of a rural Indiana school district and the community it serves. Multiple storylines intersect, culminating in a narrative about the interdependence between public education and community development.

North Putnam | New Day Films A year-in-the-life of a yes-saying rural school district and the community it serves.

Rural Schools Collaborative is thrilled to be adding three new Intermediaries and leads to the GRAD Partnership’s rural cohort. The Rural Education Institute (REI) in the College of Education at East Carolina University, Arizona Rural Schools Association, and College of Education at Missouri State University’s Center for Rural Education will join The University of West Alabama and California’s North State Together in this growing effort. All five rural cohort members serve as Regional Hubs for the Rural Schools Collaborative. Learn more: https://ruralschoolscollaborative.org/stories/three-new-intermediaries-join-the-grad-partnership-and-rural-schools-collaboratives-rural-cohort

Rural Research Funding alert! ECMC Foundation is accepting RFPs through July 12 on:

- College experiences of rural learners with intersecting identities;
- Roles of rural postsecondary institutions; and/or
- Policies that affect rural postsecondary education.

Maybe you have some great ideas connected to National Rural Education Association's Rural Research Agenda?

Request for Proposal: Rural Impact Initiative ECMC Foundation's Rural Impact Initiative is seeking grant proposals from applicants with an existing relationship with a rural-serving or rurally located postsecondary institution or a rural community/region.

We ended the wonderful day with great company and conversation. Thank you to all of our Regional Hub partners, network colleagues, partners & friends who traveled near and far to join us. It was a great 2024 Regional Hub Summit!

Thank you so much Nameless Catering Company for giving us midday fuel! The lunch wraps were a hit & the Cesar Pesto was rightfully famous!