The Emergent Educators' Advisory Council (formerly Young Educators’ Advisory Council) is a working group of educators in their first few years of teaching from rural classrooms around the country. Members advise RSC on how to support the recruitment, preparation, and retention of young rural teacher-leaders, and receive professional development in implementing Place-Based Education and grant-writing into their classrooms. Council members come from within our hub regions, and represent the diverse schools in our Regional Hub network.

What Council Members Can Expect:

• A National Voice: Participation in the council provides a platform for the amplification of ideas and experience of its members; this manifests in intentional projects, storytelling, and a place in the wider RSC community, including digital events and social media.

• Develop as Professionals: RSC will provide dedicated training via workshops in vital professional skills, namely in grant writing and Place-Based Education. These will be conducted by a combination of RSC staff, board, and members of our professional community. Membership on the council is also a great resume-builder!

• Grow with a Cohort: Significant time will be dedicated to fostering opportunities for finding common ground and exploring pathways for partnership and collaboration. Inspired by your feedback from over the last year, RSC is excited to be a platform for teamwork and enhancing your individual efforts through collective impact.

• Network and Wider Learning: Through professional development workshops, members will meet a wide variety of experts and leaders in rural education. If they wish to attend RSC events, such as the National Forum to Advance Rural Education or the RSC Hub Summit, there will be additional opportunities to network and learn from presenters.

• Support for Their Contributions: To honor members for their time and efforts, RSC will provide a $250 stipend for participation in the council. Additionally, educators will receive Professional Development Units without cost via Eastern Oregon University.

Logistics

• Time Commitment: The council will meet every other month, in the evenings, for approximately 90 minutes. There may be pre-reads or other requisite work between meetings. Council members are strongly encouraged to attend and participate in other RSC events as they are able.

• Length of term: A standard council term will run for one year, with potential to have a role in a second and third year to be determined by RSC staff and council members. Terms will begin in August, 2024, and run through June, 2025.

• Requirements: Council members must begin their council term in their first three years of teaching, and come from the general service area of our regional hub network partners. They may be of any age, teach any subject, in any rural school. Rural areas fall under one of six categories of the National Center for Educational Statistics classification (you can confirm that your school is eligible by checking your Locale Number to match 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43).