AIRSS Team

Exploring Student Career SuccessApril 17, 2026Richland Community College (Decatur, IL)Virtual Option Available While there are a lot of education conferences in Illinois, our event is the first one catered to the rural and small school perspective. If you are a rural educator, administrator, or CTE director, this event is designed for you! For our first […]

This Thanksgiving season, we’re celebrating the incredible variety of CTE programs that help students build real-world skills and bright futures. We asked you to share your unique CTE program and show us what makes it special, whether it’s a classroom project, community partnership, or student success story. Let’s give thanks for hands-on learning, career exploration,

The Illinois Report Card is an annual report released by the Illinois State Board of Education, detailing how schools, districts, and the state as a whole are performing. Schools in the state are ranked in the following categories each year: We are excited to share that 133 rural schools received the designation of “Exemplary School”

Rural teachers need to be elevated and celebrated. For all the conversations and challenges we hear about our public education system, it is all too easy to forget that behind it all are living, breathing, thinking, feeling professionals that desire to love our children into becoming the best versions of themselves possible. For this reason,

MACOMB, IL –The National Rural Education Association (NREA) recently launched the 2025 Why Rural Matters report, a project with a more than 20-year history of shaping the conversation about rural education. First conceptualized by the Rural Schools and Community Trust, the report has evolved into a vital resource for policymakers, educators, and communities.  Why Rural

The AIRSS team looks forward to seeing you at this year’s Joint Annual Conference! We have several sessions featuring AIRSS leadership, including the return of our Coffee & Conversation on Sunday. Make sure to add these sessions to your schedule, and don’t forget to visit us at Booth 127 in the Exhibitor Hall. Learn more

AIRSS is dedicated to advancing education for rural students, and supporting Career and Technical Education (CTE) has become a main focus in that goal; our work surrounding CTE programming has grown significantly over the past two years through our Rural IL CTE Project. As well, we are adamant about finding solutions to the rural teacher

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 1, 2025 Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools Announces Premier Sponsorship with OPTERRA to Support Rural School Infrastructure and Facilities Modernization Springfield, IL – The Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools (AIRSS), representing more than 500 member districts statewide, is proud to announce a new Premier Annual Sponsorship with OPTERRA