Rural Schools Collaborative

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

Grants in Place recipient, Karl Dawn Stover, and her student, Nell Goss.

Learning Healthy Living in Rural Kansas

A Grants in Place award powers an action-packed learning festival for students at Kanopolis Middle School in Rural Kansas.

On a bright May afternoon in Kanopolis, Kansas, middle school students stepped out of their classrooms and into their community for a hands-on lesson in healthy living. Led by high school students, the event—funded by RSC’s Grants in Place program—featured interactive stations on nutrition, exercise, and wellness. Under the guidance of educator Karl Dawn Stover, students learned by doing, strengthening their leadership skills while fostering connections across generations. This creative, student-led initiative showcases the power of rural schools in bringing communities together for lifelong learning. Read more about this inspiring day!

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

Rural Educator Ecosystem: Community of Learners Launches at National Summit to Address Educator Shortage in Rural Communities

With generous support from ECMC Foundation and Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, the initiative kicked off at the Rural Schools Collaborative Hub Summit in Minneapolis

Ms. Jennifer Pratt, M.Ed. - Houston, MS

Houston Alternative School educator and 2024 National Signature Project Award recipient brings place-based learning to life through garden and outdoor classroom initiatives.

Kansas