For rural districts in Illinois, transportation remains one of the most expensive and logistically complex responsibilities.
Driving Equity: Understanding and Addressing Transportation Barriers in Rural Illinois Read More »
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 »
Bureau Valley CUSD #340: Investing in Rural Career Pathways
Winter 2025 Issue of The Prairie Career Advocate Read More »
Stillman Valley High School: The Changing Field of Ag Education
Fall 2025 Issue of The Prairie Career Advocate Read More »
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
Intro When most people hear “career and technical education,” (CTE) they picture high school students in a shop class, coding in a computer lab, or learning agricultural basics in a greenhouse. But what if we’re starting too late? By the time students reach high school, many have already formed perceptions about themselves. They have preconceived
Middle School CTE: Foundation for Lifelong Learning Read More »
The Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools is excited to welcome Karli Strom to our work as an Assistant Director reviewing Career and Technical Education. Karli was born and raised in rural Warren County. Growing up in and around rural Illinois, she saw both the challenges and the incredible resilience that define them, and
Introducing Karli Strom Read More »
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
Flora CUSD #35: Sustaining Momentum for Education Innovation
Summer 2025 Issue of The Prairie Career Advocate Read More »
Bunker Hill CUSD #8: Overcoming Obstacles and Embracing Change for Student Success
Spring 2025 Issue of The Prairie Career Advocate Read More »
