2026-27 Action Plan

2026-27 Action Plan: Approved by the Rural Schools Collaborative Board of Directors during their May 2026 board meeting.

Through a keen focus on place, teachers and philanthropy, RSC’s mission is to build sustainable rural communities. In order to hold our organization accountable and keep us driven toward our mission, annual action plans and strategic directions have been a long-standing initiative of the RSC Board of Directors since our launch in 2015. The board approved the following action plan for the year ahead, under the leadership of current board chair, Cyrus Driver:

Building on the three-year strategic directions adopted in 2025, RSC will use fiscal year 2027 to deepen implementation, strengthen our network, measure impact and build the capacity and partnerships necessary for long-term sustainability.

In Fiscal Year 2027, Rural Schools Collaborative will:

• Deepen support for rural educators by completing year two of The Rural Educator Ecosystem: Community of Learners, strengthening connections across the Rural Teacher Corps network and sharing learning outcomes to inform continued recruitment, preparation, and retention of rural educators.
• Expand the Grants in Place Program by completing year two of the program to seed growing opportunities for rural educators to lead Place-Based Education projects in their rural schools and communities.
• Strengthen our network and organizational capacity by continuing to refine roles and engagement opportunities for regional partners, board members, educators and other leaders who contribute to RSC’s national rural education network.
• Measure and communicate impact by promoting research partners’ findings and strengthening the use of internal program data and outcome metrics to understand RSC’s impact, inform program improvement and share learning across the rural education field.
• Cultivate philanthropic partnerships and sustainable funding by strengthening existing relationships, developing new partnerships and advancing diverse funding strategies that support RSC’s programs, network and long-term organizational sustainability.

As a collaborative, we know that we are strongest when we work together. Thank you for your continued support of our work. Rural Schools Collaborative looks forward to sharing our progress and accomplishments throughout the year!