“We Need to be Excited, Too:” Kansas State University’s Project KRIATE inspires teachers through Place-Based Education

Early on during the 2026-27 school year, over forty teachers traveled from across rural Kansas– some driving more than six hours– to gather on the scenic campus of Kansas State University (KSU). All educators in attendance are participating in the K-State Rural Innovation Academy for Teaching Enrichment (Project KRIATE), an initiative led by KSU’s Rural Education Center, which anchors RSC’s Kansas Regional Hub and is led by Dr. Karen Eppley, director of the Rural Education Center. 

Project KRIATE fosters school-community connections through professional development to cohorts of teachers from 10 different rural schools, focusing on innovative place-based methods that are applied to locally-relevant projects. At this late-summer event, teachers shared project updates, engaged in generative discussion, and heard from place-based experts on furthering their skills. Teachers also have the option to receive free course credit at KSU for their work, gain a certification in teaching computer science, and are invited to attend the upcoming National Forum to Advance Rural Education conference. 

The event kicked off as Dr. Eppley welcomed the teachers participating in Project KRIATE, some in their second year, some in their first, and setting the stage for why Place-Based Education (PBE) is so important to rural communities. “No curriculum is neutral… We want to work from what kids know,” she described, detailing how effective teaching practices leverage local knowledge and experiences.

Following Dr. Eppley’s introduction, teachers from four year-two schools shared ‘lightning round’ project updates on the integration of place-based learning into their classrooms; Wellsville offered an especially powerful example. Teachers proudly recapped their work thus far, which has centered around celebrating the school’s 50th anniversary. Students in every grade level have contributed to some element of the celebration, all while synchronizing projects to state standards. 

Fifth graders, for instance, are researching local stores and other town features through the historical society, writing research papers highlighting their findings. Seventh and eighth grade students are mapping historical one-room school houses, while high schoolers are engaged in everything from providing media coverage, culinary showcases, and crafting personal spotlights reflecting on the values imparted in them by their hometown. Presenting teachers reflected that it has brought the whole community together: “The buy-in from not only staff and admin, but also the students, has been amazing… Don't be afraid to ask your community people, because they will step in.”

To emphasize the power of interweaving place and community into education, the group heard from Dr. Jayne Downey, director for Montana State University’s Center for Research on Rural Education and RSC Montana Regional Hub lead. Throughout her keynote speech, Dr. Downey shared examples of rural schools building math, science, history, and civic learning through local relationships, highlighted by the integration of geometry lessons and quilting that engaged a local senior center. 

The morning culminated with a panel discussion with participating teachers, who shared their experiences with project KRIATE and offered insight for teachers just beginning their place-based journey. Teachers described moving toward hands-on work while still addressing standards, and noted positive trends in their students’ vocabulary, writing, research, presentation, and critical thinking. The conversation emphasized that place-based work does not replace academic rigor, but rather gives students concrete and relevant contexts for applying it. 

After lunch, teachers gathered within their school cohorts to work on elements of their projects. Some spent the time planning events, while others used the time to refine curriculum or lesson plans. In many cases, teachers collaborated with their Project KRIATE site leaders. To conclude the day, RSC program manager Henry Whitehead presented on bringing personal passions into (or out of) the classroom, sharing examples from historical Grants in Place Place-Based Education projects where teachers integrated their knowledge and interests into unique lessons and units. 

This event, and Project KRIATE more broadly, was less about a single grant-funded project than about fostering a shift in posture: seeing rural communities not as a passive backdrop to learning, but as a living source of knowledge, relationships, questions, and possibility. The teachers in the room expressed not only hopefulness that their projects would continue well into the future, but that their experience would have a school-wide ripple-effect on teaching and learning. 

For her part, Dr. Eppley and the K-State team are grateful that this project has enabled teachers to infuse their practice with a pedagogy that honors themselves and their communities, reversing a cycle of teachers feeling disconnected from content: "While we often think about the disconnect between pre-packaged curriculum and our students, we less often acknowledge that the teachers, too, can find it difficult to leverage what they know and love about their students," she describes. The educators on the panel sensed a similar shift; as teacher Cheryl Lewis succinctly stated, “We need to be excited, too.” 

Rural Schools Collaborative would like to thank Dr. Karen Eppley and the entire team behind KSU’s Rural Education Center for inviting our team to attend and participate in the Project KRIATE event.