John Glasgow

Growing Rural Computer Science Lessons through Ag Education

| | AIRSS News, Career and Technical Education

Rural and small school districts have an incredible opportunity to leverage their agriculture classes to offer invaluable career skill development for all students. The Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools Rural IL CTE Project team recently explored this opportunity through a workshop for Ag educators with the Illinois Learning Technology Center (LTC) at Regional […]

Growing Rural Computer Science Lessons through Ag Education Read More »

New Review of Rural and Small School Career Education Programs Finds Systemic Misalignment Hinders Student Access and Achievement

| | AIRSS News, Career and Technical Education

MACOMB, IL – The Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools (AIRSS) has completed its initial statewide assessment of rural career and technical education programs (CTE) with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Western Illinois University Seymour Center for Rural Education. This initiative, called the Rural IL CTE Project, was launched in

New Review of Rural and Small School Career Education Programs Finds Systemic Misalignment Hinders Student Access and Achievement Read More »

The Chronic Rural Educator Shortage and Hopeful Actions to Address It

| | AIRSS News

John Glasgow, Program Director, Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools David Ardrey, Executive Director, Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools Tom Withee, Director, Goshen Consulting Inc.  A healthy public school system is essential for a vibrant society and a robust economy. These institutions are a cornerstone of American life. Challenges in how we conduct education,

The Chronic Rural Educator Shortage and Hopeful Actions to Address It Read More »

The Role and Economic Effects of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Rural Illinois Communities

| | Career and Technical Education, Shared With Us

Career and Technical Education (CTE) has strong potential in rural schools to serve as a student empowerment and community revitalization powerhouse. Because of their embeddedness, rural schools have long been the foundation of their local economy and society, and CTE offers a direct tie that links school to community through student professional development. Despite this

The Role and Economic Effects of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Rural Illinois Communities Read More »

Illinois Rural Teacher Corps Programs Build Community and Career Readiness at Spring Retreat

| | AIRSS News

As all in rural education understand, there is an ongoing and pervasive shortage of educators in rural schools. Although the most recent IARSS Educator Shortage Report: Academic Year 2024 – 2025 recently published by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools and the Illinois State Board of Education points to promising trends that the

Illinois Rural Teacher Corps Programs Build Community and Career Readiness at Spring Retreat Read More »

Ending on a High Note of Advocacy: The AIRSS Board and Staff Represent Rural Illinois on the Road

| | AIRSS News

The Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools team, Executive Director David Ardrey, Director Hailey Winkleman, and Associate Director John Glasgow, hit the road this fall representing rural schools and rural Illinois at a number of high profile education conferences and gatherings. At each event, the three were able to communicate through data and narrative

Ending on a High Note of Advocacy: The AIRSS Board and Staff Represent Rural Illinois on the Road Read More »

Starting Ahead of the Curve: CompTIA Spark Offers Rural School Districts a Free Platform for Cutting-Edge Middle Grades Career Exploration

| | AIRSS News

The Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools recently co-hosted a webinar with CompTIA Spark to showcase their free platform of interactive career exploration units for middle school students. The full recording of the webinar can be accessed here.  AIRSS has spent the past year directing research through the Rural IL CTE Project to uncover

Starting Ahead of the Curve: CompTIA Spark Offers Rural School Districts a Free Platform for Cutting-Edge Middle Grades Career Exploration Read More »

RASI Helps Rural Students Find Community and College Success

| | Career and Technical Education

Starting college was difficult for me. Even though I always excelled in my small town Illinois school district, and still view myself as a lifelong student with a zeal for learning, I had no idea the initial challenges I would face. I had the opportunity to attend college in a major urban area hours and

RASI Helps Rural Students Find Community and College Success Read More »

Response: Rural CTE and the “Great Misalignment”

| | Career and Technical Education

It’s no secret that our education system is struggling to inspire and train the next generation of the American workforce, and this problem is especially pernicious for rural districts. The Rural IL CTE Project has just concluded its first year, focusing on research, showing that rural and small school districts across Illinois are struggling to

Response: Rural CTE and the “Great Misalignment” Read More »