Registration open for K-State College of Education's 5th Annual Rural Education Summit
MANHATTAN — The fifth annual Rural Education Summit from Kansas State University's College of Education will feature keynote addresses from national education leaders in place-based learning and rural literacy. The event will be held virtually Thursday, April 6.
The theme for the 2023 summit is Rural Schools: The Place to Learn, the Place to Be. The summit is sponsored by the K-State College of Education's Rural Education Center and includes leading educators who will share their approaches in three strands: teaching and learning, leadership and rural issues. Registration is $10 per person or $100 for districts that use it for professional development, including in-service days.
"While the focus is on education, sessions are designed to address key issues regarding rural communities and will be valuable for administrators, classroom teachers, community members and other stakeholders in rural communities," said Spencer Clark, professor and director of the Rural Education Center. "Registration is intentionally affordable to encourage participation by anyone who wants to support and strengthen rural communities."
Bridget Larsen, middle school teacher at Glenwood Schools in West Plains, Missouri, will deliver "Planting New Seeds," her keynote address about place-based learning.
Chea Parton, self-proclaimed "farm girl," former rural school student and high school teacher, is a visiting faculty member in Purdue University's teacher educator program. Her keynote address is "Being to Learn and Learning to Be: Toward a Rural Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy." Parton champions rural life through her website, Literacy in Place.
Additional details about each speaker are available on the Rural Education Summit website.
The summit's schedule includes special education, education law, vacancy and retention, and international education. Also, the 14 members of the center's Rural Professional Development Schools network will be recognized for their partnership and participation in many projects.
For more information about the summit or the Rural Education Center and its programs, contact Kevin Colle, program coordinator, at klcolle@k-state.edu, ruraled@k-state.edu or 785-532-3977.
