#RURALTEACHERCORPS: 6/13 TWEETCHAT

The recruitment, preparation and retention of outstanding rural teacher-leaders is an essential element of the Rural Schools Collaborative's mission. As such, RSC in partnership with Dakota Wesleyan University will host the Rural Teacher Corps Stakeholder Dialogue on June 13-14. During the summit, we invite educators and rural advocates to participate in the #RuralTeacherCorps TwitterChat (Monday, June 13, 2:00-4:00pm CST) to discuss rural education challenges and pathways to success.

The Rural Teacher Corps Stakeholder Dialogue sessions will focus on the objectives of the Rural Teacher Corps project. This partnership, modeled after the Ozarks Teacher Corps, is dedicated to preparing rural teachers who:

• Have a strong sense of place, mission, and rural identity;
• Have a more comprehensive understanding of rural “issues,” including economic-, environmental-, and justice-related;
• Are savvy communicators, networkers, and users of new media;
• Recognize the imperative to and value of collaboration—within a school, across the community, and between diverse rural regions;
• Are perceived as community leaders and catalysts for change.

The Rural Teacher Corps Stakeholder Dialogue sessions will culminate in the #RuralTeacherCorps TweetChat, held both in person for summit attendees, and on Twitter with community members and partners. On Monday, June 13, RSC will live-tweet ideas from summit participants and leaders, and solicit input from the twitterverse on the objectives outlined above.

To continue supporting rural educators, we need teachers, higher education institutions, and rural community members to weigh in on the central question: How can we work together to strengthen the recruitment, preparation, placement, and retention of outstanding rural teacher­-leaders?

Please join the conversation on June 13 from 2-4pm by tweeting @Rural_Schoolsusing the hashtag #RuralTeacherCorps.

For more information, please contact Rural Schools Collaborative director, Gary Funk, at 417-848-9083 or gfunk@ruralschoolscollaborative.org .