AIRSS Conference

Our inaugural conference – the first conference focused on rural education in Illinois – was held on April 17, 2026 at Richland Community College.

Following the theme of “Exploring Student Career Pathways,” our first conference explored the changing technologies such as AI and innovations in agriculture; student career pathways and CTE programming in rural schools; and hear from students and teachers about what works in their own schools. We were honored to welcome Christian Jackson, CEO of Edapt, for a keynote presentation as well as an interactive workshop. We also featured a student and teacher panel highlighting CTE success in our state.

Thank you to all of our attendees, presenters, and sponsors who made our first event a success. We look forward to planning a second conference! Stay tuned for more details.