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, […]

Recently, the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools launched the nomination form for our first-ever Illinois Rural Teacher of the Year Award. We were thrilled to receive several outstanding applications, and while the winner will be notified and announced after June 6, we wanted to recognize all of the nominees as Teachers of Distinction

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

Thank you to Kings Financial Consulting, Inc. for your support of our mission to advocate and be the VOICE of Illinois rural and small schools! Please read their full statement below, and visit their website for more information. Kings Financial Consulting, Inc. is pleased to join the membership of the Association of Illinois Rural and

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

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

We are excited to present our 2024 Annual Report: “We Are Connected.” This report details how AIRSS has grown and become an integral part of rural advocacy in Illinois through our connections to state agencies, member school districts, national organizations, and individuals.