Invitation to the Student Attendance and Engagement Solutions Network

This blog post comes from the Domestic Policy Council at The White House. We are excited to share with you an invitation to join the Student Attendance and Engagement Solutions Network (Attendance Solutions Network) which we hope you will share with your members. The Attendance Solutions Network, part of the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS), a […]

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Training for Rural Vitality: Reflecting on the First Year of the Rural IL CTE Project

I am a huge proponent for the power of our small towns and country places. As a product of a small town in West Central Illinois myself, I feel the struggles we have faced in a social and economic system that does not regard rural places as much more than either a backward anachronism that

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Rural Education Advisory Council Discusses Defining Rural in Illinois

The new Illinois Rural Education Advisory Council, created through the unanimous passage of Senate Bill 1787 last year, met for the second time to begin work on some of the most pressing issues facing rural and small schools across the state. The Council represents a critical opportunity for rural communities and schools to have representation

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Celebrating Rural & Small Schoolteachers during Teacher Appreciation Week!

Teachers are the cornerstone of our rural schools and communities. The Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools was thrilled to see the great responses from our network to nominate rural educators of all types whom they respect and admire. Thank you to everyone who participated, and especially to our rural educators across Illinois working

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Rural CTE Council Convenes at Western Illinois University

The Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools was thrilled to host members of the Rural Illinois Career & Technical Education Project Advisory Council as well as special guests from Western Illinois University and the Illinois State Board of Education for an in-person meeting to discuss new data on the status of CTE programs at

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Assessing the State of Rural Career & Technical Education Programs

Engaging rural schools across the state to understand their needs and experiences is the bedrock foundation of the Rural IL CTE Project. To accomplish this, the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools (AIRSS) issued a first-take Rural IL CTE Survey. AIRSS believes strongly that the best way to advocate for rural and small schools

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Horace Mann and Illinois Principals Association Announce 2024 Illinois High School Principal of the Year

Contact: Dr. Jason E. Leahy, Executive Director, Illinois Principals Association  Phone: 217-525-1383   Email: jason@ilprincipals.org Horace Mann and the Illinois Principals Association are pleased to announce that Natalie Page, principal of Sesser-Valier High School in Sesser, has been named the 2024 Illinois High School Principal of the Year. The award recognizes high school principals who have demonstrated

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As a Tennessee rural educator, I fear that school voucher expansion will hurt our children

by Dr. Allen Pratt The National Rural Education Association (NREA) advocates for equitable educational opportunities for the nearly 9 million students attending rural public schools across America. Tennessee has over 600,000 students in rural districts that are the backbone of our communities. But now our rural schools face an existential threat from school vouchers. Public rural schools

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Rural Education Advisory Council Members and First Meeting Date Announced

The Newest Voices of Rural and Small Schools The Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools (AIRSS) worked for several years to create, through legislation, the Rural Education Advisory Council (REAC) in Illinois. In 2023, this vision came one step closer to reality with the unanimous passage of Senate Bill 1787 (Public Act 103-0457). AIRSS

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