Oregon Rural Teacher Corps: Growth and Updates After Two Years

The intentional efforts to recruit, prepare, and retain rural educators, or Rural Teacher Corps, are an important component of supporting and strengthening both rural schools and communities. For the past three years, Rural Schools Collaborative has worked with rural-serving institutions like Eastern Oregon University (EOU) to launch their own Rural Teacher Corps programs through what is called the Catalyst Initiative Grant. This initiative offers recipients $25,000 of early, flexible planning funds to design and implement a teacher corps program that is unique to the diverse places, assets, and contexts of each rural community.

Starting with an initial Catalyst Grant from Rural Schools Collaborative in 2022, the Oregon Rural Teacher Corps (ORTC) has grown from ten candidates in the inaugural 2022-23 year to 27 candidates who will enter this year’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program at Eastern Oregon University. This work has been led and supported by RSC Pacific Northwest Regional Hub lead Dave Dallas and his team at EOU.

Under the direction of Teach Rural Oregon, a grant funded Grow-Your-Own program, the Oregon Rural Teacher Corps sought to provide peer support, travel money, classroom supplies, professional development, and financial assistance to a select group of MAT candidates who chose to teach in rural and underserved communities in Oregon. In the first two years of the program candidates in the ORTC program, as well as other MAT candidates who chose to complete their candidacy in rural districts, received over $250,000.00 in financial support. In addition to the Catalyst Grant from Rural Schools Collaborative, Teach Rural Oregon has received additional funding support from the Oregon Department of Education, the Educator Advancement Council, The Roundhouse Foundation, and the Ford Family Foundation.

From its inception, ORTC candidates were placed in nine rural communities in seven counties throughout Eastern Oregon. An area the size of the state of South Carolina with just over 150,000 people. In 2023-24, ORTC grew to 13 candidates placed in 13 rural communities in 9 different counties throughout Oregon. This coming year’s ORTC will include 27 candidates placed in 22 rural communities in thirteen counties stretching from the Oregon Coast to the Idaho border.

Part of the growth and success of this program can be attributed to the Placement Office within the College of Education at Eastern Oregon University. While many schools choose to place their candidates near their main campus, EOU truly embraces their moniker as Oregon’s Rural University. The unique setup of EOU’s MAT program allows students to complete their education anywhere throughout the state, and in some cases even neighboring states. In the past three years the Placement Office has specifically established Memorandums of Understanding (MOU’s) with over 73 rural serving school districts in communities throughout Oregon. This commitment to placing students in locations throughout the state has helped address the teacher shortage in rural communities and given candidates the opportunity to experience teaching in a rural setting. Of the 23 ORTC graduates, all are currently teaching or working in rural school districts.

For the 23-24 academic year Teach Rural Oregon is working to develop a mentorship network of past ORTC members for the new class of candidates. This network will assist new candidates as they adjust to teaching in rural districts. Additionally, it will allow ORTC alumni to maintain contact with their colleagues and provide opportunities for support and collaboration.Read more about the Oregon Rural Teacher Corps here.