Northern California

Our partners at California State University-Chico and North State Together are supporting innovative programs connecting new teachers to rural communities and supporting school districts across the North State.

California State University-Chico School of Education

Our Northern California Regional Hub is co-anchored by rural-serving Chico State University. Karen Schreder, Regional Faculty Fellow at California State University-Chico serves as primary contact for the Northern California Regional Hub.

Serving a geographically and culturally diverse region the size of Ohio, California State University-Chico is a higher education institution dedicated to ensuring the voices of all students who come to campus are heard and empowering, including rural students. The North State region of California holds the distinction of being almost entirely rural, more so than many of the places in the central or southern parts of the state. Chico State is a leader in teacher-preparation, providing schools across the North State with high-quality teachers.

  • North State Ambassadors: The ambassadors are a team of rural Northern California undergraduate students working to strengthen connections between their home communities and Chico State. The students’ efforts focus on highlighting local assets, supporting rural students on campus, and building pathways for high school students to envision their future at Chico State. Through regional partnerships and community engagement, they aim to reflect and celebrate the diverse strengths of the North State.
  • The BEST Teacher Residency Program: The Belong, Engage, Support, and Transform (BEST) Teacher Residency Program is an accelerated, blended pathway where residents earn a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, supported by a generous living stipend. Over the course of a year, residents engage in a supportive, diverse learning community that emphasizes inclusive pedagogy, healing-centered and trauma-informed practices, and social-emotional learning.

    Relentless Alumna Pursues Dream, Advocates for Rural Students

    A first-generation college student and eldest of three, Cyanna Iñiguez (Civil Engineering, ’24) faced expectations to remain in her rural community of McArthur, population 678, after high school - full feature article.

    North State Together

    North State Together (NST) is one of the largest geographical collectives in the United States, covering 10 counties and over 31,000 square miles. It provides direct resources, data, and research support to the ten counties that comprise the region. Susan Schroth, GRAD Partnership for Student Success Director for North State Together, serves as a primary contact for the Northern California Regional Hub.

    The North State region of California is fortunate to have an engaged network of local organizations dedicated to ensuring the future prosperity and success of their local communities. North State Together works to unify these pockets of dedicated work toward a common goal of collective impact and student success across their service area. Through the generosity of local organizations, rural community activists, and the McConnell Foundation, North State Together was created through Shasta College as a backbone organization providing essential data, operations, and collaborative support to the region.

    • GRAD Partnership: North State Together is a participant of RSC's GRAD Partnership For Advancing Student Success, a national initiative to explore and implement student success systems in schools across the country. North State Together is partnering with Rural Schools Collaborative to bring support to 10 rural high schools participating in the project throughout Northern California.
    • County Network Teams: The County Networks are the foundation of North State Together’s regional collective impact model. NST’s county network teams bring together community leaders, cross-sector partners, families and students that combine expertise to work toward a vision of student success. They are composed of staff and faculty from the region’s K-12 districts, community colleges, Chico State University and the University of California system, nonprofit organizations, government, and local industry leaders. This network of practitioners and experts collaborate to guide regional and county level initiatives and craft tactical plans that will help student populations in the North State.
    • K-16 Education Collaborative: This three-year initiative is focused on expanding career pathways across 10 Northern California counties through accelerated degree programs and work-based learning in key sectors like healthcare and education. The collaborative focuses on college readiness, inclusive student support, personalized advising, and equity-centered learning environments to drive student success across the North State

    North State Together Promo

    Spotlight

    The North State Student Ambassadors planned and facilitated all aspects of the conference.

    Lead New Conference on Rural Voice

    The North State Student Ambassadors of Chico State University planned and facilitated a conference for high school students centered around gaining confidence in their voice and ways to succeed in college as rural students.

    Step into the power of rural pride. Meet the Chico State students who dreamed up and led a first-of-its-kind event welcoming 60+ rural high schoolers to campus. With authenticity, energy, and vision, these student ambassadors created a space for their younger peers to reframe stereotypes, explore college life, and claim the strengths of their rural identities. It wasn’t just a conference—it was a movement of empowerment, connection, and change, driven entirely by students who once stood in their guests’ shoes. Read the full story of how they made it happen.

    Read More

    More news and stories from our Northern California Regional Hub:

    2024-25 Grants in Place Updates from the Field

    Celebrating Innovation, Community, and Hands-On Learning: How Rural Educators Are Transforming Classrooms Across the Country Through Place-Based Education

    One of a Kind: North State Student Ambassadors Plan, Lead New Conference on Rural Voice

    The North State Student Ambassadors of Chico State University planned and facilitated a conference for high school students centered around gaining confidence in their voice and ways to succeed in college as rural students.

    Lisa Furlong - Ukiah, CA

    From a young child not ready for school to becoming a lifelong learning advocate, Lisa Furlong shares that her community is why she put down teaching roots in rural California.

    GRAD Partnership Rural Cohort Announces 30 New Schools

    New Rural Cohort Intermediaries welcome in 30 new schools to the GRAD Partnership for Advancing Student Success Systems.