The Future of Rural Schools and Communities
A yearly national summit convening experts and policymakers
Rural communities and school districts face a unique set of challenges in educating students for the future workforce. The Rural School-Community Partnership Research Consortium is helping to advance research and collaboration through a yearly summit convening practitioners, researchers, and policymakers. The second annual “Future of Rural Schools and Communities Summit" will be held in Spring 2019. The purpose of the summit is to bring together national leaders and stakeholders who are working at the intersection of rural education and community development.
The goal of the Rural Summit is to build a foundation for a national school-community-university research consortium that examines the intersection of education, schools, and community in rural areas across the United States. The summit aims to:
- Add to and extend the national discussion about rural education and rural communities
- Identify and discuss gaps and issues in rural education research
- Stimulate and establish linkages for new programs and research approaches in rural schools
- Create a framework and forum to give voice to the diverse and unique needs of rural places
By bringing together school leaders, community stakeholders, researchers, and representatives from federal agencies and foundations who share an interest in the future of rural communities and rural youth, the annual summit seeks to identify issues and work toward solutions that are responsive to the unique needs of diverse communities.
2018 Inaugural Summit
The inaugural summit explored the challenges experienced by rural educators, and also identified adaptive strengths, innovation, and self-determined opportunities that are at the core of the pioneering spirit of rural places. Summit participants discussed the future of rural communities, developmental pathways of rural youth, professional development to support rural teachers, the use of technology in rural schools and communities, and the STEM pipeline in rural areas. Attendees included community, district, and state level education leaders as well as representatives of national organizations, research foundations, education leaders, and federal agencies. Participants hailed from rural places nationwide including Alabama, California, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Panel discussions included:
- Introduction [Download the presentation: Finding the Future in Rural America (pdf)]
- Role of Schools & Education in the Future of Rural Communities
- The STEM Pipeline [Download the presentation: Broadening the STEM Pipeline for Rural Students (pdf)]
- Professional Development and Supporting Rural Teachers [Download the presentations: Cultivating Communities of Practice among School Leaders (pdf) Directed Consultation, Scouting Reports, and the BASE Model (pdf) Creating Sustainable Growth in Rural Mathematics Classrooms (pdf)]
- Developmental Pathways of Rural Youth
- Technology in Rural Schools and Communities
