Brain Drain Is Not A Rural Inevitability
Southern Illinoisan journalist Sarah Halasz Graham reports that rural regions are taking steps to combat the rural brain drain.
A Southern Illinoisan<\/em> journalist explores needed action steps that include recommendations from our good partner, the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools. Our board chairman, David Ardrey, is the Association's executive director. <\/p>"
We invite you to read Sarah Halasz Graham's third and final installment in a journalistic series that explores the causes behind, impacts of, and solutions to rural brain drain. It is not inevitable that bright young people must leave small towns and out-of-the way places, but stemming the tide will take thoughtful and intentional efforts. Click here to read the Southern Illinoisan article in its entirety.
We are particularly pleased that Graham interviewed David Ardrey, executive director of the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools (AIRSS). Ardrey is chairman of the Rural Schools Collaborative board of directors, and AIRSS is a founding partner of our organization.
We also encourage you to check out Graham's second piece in the series, Generation Gone. Graham is a graduate of Northwestern University and writes for the Southern Illinoisan, which is based out of Carbondale, IL.
Preparing Teachers for Rural Wyoming: Voices from the Field
January 28, 2026
In this blog, hear from 3 WY Rural Teacher Corps (RTC) members who completed their student teaching in the fall of 2025 and graduated in December 2025 about their experiences in the Corps and with rural teaching.
Power of Partnerships, Northern Rockies, Place-Based Education, Rural Teacher Corps
Out of the Classroom, Into Cahaba
November 25, 2025
Rural Teachers in Alabama practice Place-Based Education through the University of West Alabama and Teton Science Schools
Power of Partnerships, Black Belt, Northern Rockies, Place-Based Education
Celebrating Rural Teacher-Leaders: National Signature Project Award 2024-25 Winners
August 19, 2025
In partnership with the National Rural Education Association, Rural Schools Collaborative is proud to celebrate this year’s National Signature Project Awardees' accomplishments.