About the Rural Teacher Corps

The Rural Teacher Corps is a growing network of diverse organizations all united by a strong commitment to the idea that teachers play a vital role in fostering vibrant rural communities. Made up of 20+ partner organizations (and counting), this network aims to grow and sustain programs that recruit, prepare, and retain passionate educators dedicated to rural schools and students.

Inspired by the innovative work of Missouri’s Ozarks Teacher Corps, Rural Schools Collaborative has provided more than $850,000 in planning grants to establish or strengthen rural teacher initiatives through this community.

Together, the Community of Learners has the following goals:

• Engage Rural Teacher Corps stakeholders via convenings, site visits, and capacity-building grants to facilitate knowledge sharing, funding strategies, and best practices
• Bolster the rural teaching field through shared resources and storytelling. 
• In partnership with MDRC rural researchers, we’re creating a research and learning framework with Rural Teacher Corps programs to explore programmatic structures, build alumni tracking systems, and create recommendations for a future longitudinal research project.