Illinois Rural Teacher of the Year Program

The Illinois Rural Teacher of the Year Program was started by AIRSS in 2025 to recognize and highlight the amazing work being done by rural educators in our state. The selection committee narrows down applicants to a handful of Teachers of Distinction, who are the finalists for the Illinois Rural Teacher of the Year Award. Then, the awardee is chosen and celebrated for the following school year.

The Illinois program also feeds into the National Rural Teacher of the Year nomination process. As a state affiliate of the National Rural Education Association, AIRSS is honored to nominate our winning teacher into the pool for the national competition. Once we have chosen the Illinois Rural Teacher of the Year, their information is given to the National Rural Education Association Foundation.

The Illinois Rural Teacher of the Year application opens in early spring each year to align with the national competition.

The 2025 awardee was Ms. Dee Rose from Shawnee CUSD #84 in Wolf Lake, IL. On September 23, 2025, the Shawnee school district held an awards ceremony for Ms. Rose, and AIRSS representatives Hailey Winkleman and John Glasgow attended to present the award. Winkleman and Glasgow also interviewed Ms. Rose for a feature piece on our website (coming soon). Congratulations to Ms. Rose!