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.
2024 AIRSS Annual Report is Now Available Read More »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: TODD DUGAN 618-585-3116 BUNKER HILL, IL — Macoupin County PK-12 school district Bunker Hill CUSD 8 and their higher education partner Lewis & Clark Community College were recently recruited to participate in the non-profit Collegiate Edu-Nation’s first National P-20 Convening in Abilene, Texas. Completely funded by a grant from the Carnegie Foundation,
Bunker Hill 8 – Lewis & Clark Selected for Pilot Program Read More »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 1, 2024execdir@nrea.net Chattanooga, TN – The Executive Committee of the National Rural Education Association (NREA) has announced the appointment of David M. Ardrey as the Interim Executive Director of the NREA. Mr. Ardrey is currently the Executive Director of the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools (AIRSS) and will continue in his role alongside
NREA Names David M. Ardrey as Interim Executive Director Effective October 1 Read More »
The AIRSS team is proud to present the first-ever issue of our new digital publication, The Prairie Career Advocate. This storytelling effort is part of the Rural IL CTE Project that AIRSS and the Illinois State Board of Education began in 2023. We encourage you to read the first issue below, featuring Geneseo CUSD #228,
Introducing the Prairie Career Advocate Read More »
Guest author and veteran educator Joe Brewer shares how CTE programming improves student outcomes
A First-of-its-Kind Report on the Status and Health of Rural Illinois Career & Technical Education Programming
2024 Rural IL CTE Project Report Now Available Read More »
I am a huge proponent for the power of our small towns and country places. As a product of a small town in West Central Illinois myself, I feel the struggles we have faced in a social and economic system that does not regard rural places as much more than either a backward anachronism that
Training for Rural Vitality: Reflecting on the First Year of the Rural IL CTE Project Read More »
The new Illinois Rural Education Advisory Council, created through the unanimous passage of Senate Bill 1787 last year, met for the second time to begin work on some of the most pressing issues facing rural and small schools across the state. The Council represents a critical opportunity for rural communities and schools to have representation
Rural Education Advisory Council Discusses Defining Rural in Illinois Read More »
