Kansas

The Rural Education Center at Kansas State University leads the Kansas Hub.

College of Education at Kansas State University

The Rural Education Center of the College of Education at Kansas State University has a long history of direct and meaningful engagement with rural districts throughout rural Kansas. The Rural Education Center is led by Dr. Karen Eppley.

Kansas State University was founded in 1863 as the state's first land-grant college and institution of higher education, dating a close connection to rural areas to their inception. KSU's Rural Education Center (previously called the Center for Rural Education and Small Schools) has partnered with Rural Schools Collaborative to connect with a national network of rural schools as well as higher-education institutions and organizations focused on rural teachers and rural education.The Rural Education Center works to reach all rural school districts throughout the state, especially those districts in the southeast, southwest, and northwest regions of Kansas. It pursues its mission through the following goals:

  • Generate grants and other projects to help rural schools districts

  • Create a homegrown workforce for schools

  • Advance rural student leadership in the College of Education

  • Help generate place-based curriculum that makes use of the unique learning available to rural school

Supporting rural education and teachers is central to the Rural Education Center’s work, and is highlighted through a variety of programs:

  • LEAPES: Project LEAPES is a collaborative project made possible by a three-year U.S. Department of Defense grant for nearly $2.7 million to help mentor and promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degrees and careers to 7th - 12th-grade students throughout the state.

  • ED ASTRA Rural Teacher Corps: ED ASTRA supports students, especially rural students, in completing the K-State College of Education teaching preparation program with the goal of returning to their home district or another rural area to teach. They also travel to rural high schools throughout Kansas to encourage high school students to pursue teaching as a career.

  • Rural Professional Development School Network: This KSU network includes P-12 districts and schools who host teachers in rigorous, carefully sequenced field experiences and collaborate as KSU Faculty conduct and disseminate research examining critical questions facing educators today.

Spotlight

When Students Lead: Kansas State University’s Future Rural Teacher Conference

Two RSC Hub Partners, Kansas State University and Chico State University, partner on a student-led Future Rural Teacher Conference

On a sunny Friday in late February, several fully-caffeinated students in “Wildcat Purple” colored t-shirts greeted over 60 guests at the Kansas State University Student Union. Groups of high school students and chaperones from across the state gathered for a first-of-its kind Raising Rural Voices: Future Teacher Conference.

Read More

More news and stories from our Kansas Regional Hub:

When Students Lead: Kansas State University’s Future Rural Teacher Conference

Two RSC Hub Partners, Kansas State University and Chico State University, partner on a student-led Future Rural Teacher Conference

I Am a Rural Teacher: Shelby Starbuck - Fredonia, KS

Shelby prepares to lead in and out of the classroom

Voices from the Field: Kelsy Sproul - Sedan, KS

Kelsy shares how she found herself on a new path through education

New Faces, Familiar Places: Celebrating RSC Hub Retirements And New Leads

This summer, Rural Schools Collaborative bids farewell to several Regional Hub leaders and welcomes in new leadership at key partner institutions