National Rural Education Association Official Podcast

In this episode, Dr. Silver leads the discussion on identifying, assessing, and preparing for the Fall Semester in Elementary and Secondary Education. We discuss how various school districts are surveying families to determine online capacity for learning and technology accessibility. We discuss how precise assessment should be deployed to ask detailed questions regarding technology and internet a...

In this episode, we explore the use of Competency-Based and Micro-Credentialing as a method for furthering the professional development of teachers. For many teachers, there are limited options for furthering their professional training to stay current and meet yearly state standards. As part of this episode, the co-hosts interview Robert Brown and Jennifer Carroll, leading the charge of credentia...

In this episode of the Rural Education Podcast, the co-hosts discuss the current COVID-19 status for rural school systems around technology and contingency planning. We discuss the ever-changing landscape of public education, ways the international community is responding to the crisis, and some of the approaches being considered by various school districts around the country.

In this episode of the National Rural Education Association, Drs. Pratt and Bigham interview Dr. Penny Schwinn, Tennessee's Education Commissioner. She discusses how COVID has influenced education in the State of Tennessee with themes connected to rural education around the United States. She discusses the challenges of COVID and restructuring education to address these new challenges in education...

In this episode of the Rural Education Association Podcasts, the cohosts interview Mr. Wade Owlett, a 5th-grade teacher at Clark Wood Elementary School in Elkland and recipient of the Pennsylvania Rural Teacher of the Year Award as well as the National Rural Teacher of the Year Award. He received the award on October 12, 2018, in Denver, Colorado. In this interview, Mr. Owlett shares his experienc...

In this episode of the Rural Education Podcast the cohosts interview Mr. Ben Garrison, Social Impact Real Estate Entrepreneur of Chattanooga Tennessee regarding a method for recruitment and retention of new teachers given the challenges of hiring and sustaining employment in education. Mr. Garrison discusses the creation and sustainability of teacher housing as an added benefit for recruitment and...

In this episode of the Rural Education Association Podcast, we interview Dr. Stephen Pruitt, the President of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), as well as Alen Richard News Manager for SREB. In this episode, the cohosts and guests discuss the challenges following the COVID-19 crisis for school administrators and supervisors. The guests discuss various scenarios regarding COVID-19 and h...

The co-hosts in this episode discuss what happens in education following COVID-19 and what are some aspects of culture administrators and teachers should consider as they plan for the future. The co-hosts also suggest that COVID-19 will be with us for a while and will influence education policy and pedagogical practice for years to come. The co-hosts discuss what this may look like and things to c...

In this episode of the Rural Education Association Podcast, we discuss how school districts are settling into the new normal of COVID-19 and the use of technology. The co-hosts discuss how some technologies have helped learners while others have been taxed with an unusually high user load on their servers. Further, we discussed some of the security challenges that have emerged over the past month...

In this episode of the National Rural Education Podcast, we interview Dr. Steve Johnson of Lisbon Public Schools in North Dakota. In this podcast, Dr. Johnson discusses shifting from classroom to online from the perspective of a small rural school district and the northern plains of the Midwest. Dr. Johnson shared that the schools are the center of the community for not only education but socializ...

In this episode of the Rural Education Podcast, Drs. Bigham, Allen, and Silver discuss the current state of rural education in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The co-hosts discuss the challenges with addressing the pandemic given the little time to prepare in addressing large and small school districts, as well as the budgetary and logistical issues of moving curriculum from the classroom to on...

In this episode of the Rural Voice, Drs Pratt and Bigham interview Dr. Jon Turner, Assistant Professor of Counseling, Leadership, and Special Education at Missouri State University on his research regarding the four-day school week. In this episode, Dr. Turner discusses his research related to the benefits and disadvantages of the four-day school week and the various forms of implementation around...

In this episode of the Rural Voice, all three co-hosts discuss the importance of extra-curricular activities for not only teaching teamwork and social norms but also building community. The co-hosts share their own experiences with extra-curricular activities both as students as well as teachers and administrators. They discuss how these programs have changed and some of the challenges experienced...

In this episode of the Rural Voice, the co-hosts interview United States Congressman Mike Bost regarding his work on rural education and support of the Rural Education Investment Act. This act suggests investing in rural education as directed by local school districts throughout the United States. Representative Bost suggests that each local school board has its own individual challenges and there...

The Rural Voice interviews the Honorable Brandon O. Gibson, who serves in the Office of the Governor of Tennessee. The co-hosts interview her regarding rural educational initiatives in Tennessee and how rural education varies between counties. She discusses some of the current initiatives within the state and the foci of the current administration. She discusses some of the current trends and how...

Dr. Allen Pratt has served as a high school science teacher and coach, a high school principal, assistant superintendent/curriculum director, executive director of the Tennessee Rural Education Association, executive director of the East Tennessee Center of Regional Excellence for the Tennessee Department of Education, and rural outreach liaison for Lincoln Memorial University. His primary interes...