Communication. We try to locate and share positive stories about teaching. Some we share though our social media and some through our newsletters. We have several newsletters that go to our stakeholders as well as candidates. We also share the importance and value of teaching in rural communities through social media and advocacy to increase the number of high school students who want to be teachers. We use social media to communicate the importance of teaching.
Why Wednesday. On Wednesdays, we post a video of a future teacher who explains why they want to work in a rural community.
Instagram Takeovers. On Fridays, we arrange for a preservice teacher to share their day on our Instagram account.
Recruitment. We work with schools and community stakeholders to identify, recruit, and support future rural teachers. This occurs in our high school groups as well as when we recruit for the off-campus cohorts for paraprofessionals and parent leaders. We have developed a list of school “champions” who can travel with us to talk to school leaders, community members, and paraprofessionals to join our cohorts.
Off-campus Cohorts. We work with EIU programs to support the delivery of off-campus cohorts targeting paraprofessionals in rural communities
Provide forgivable loans that cover the cost of tuition and fees
Provide individual and group support to access the resources of the university for advising, professional learning experiences, Financial Aid, and job placement upon graduation
Provide on demand assistance as requested to assist with problems as they arise. Last year we had to work with our off-campus cohorts to secure Internet access when the pandemic struck. We also help with individual issues as they arise. Candidates can (and do) call their instructors, cohort coordinators, program chairs, GYO staff and even the project director for assistance.
Provide professional learning opportunities in the areas of technology, SEL, high leverage practices, place-based education and other topics that arise from candidates experiences. Each candidate is expected to participate in at least one profession learning experience each month.
Rural Teaching Pipeline. We are developing a pipeline to provide long term supply of teachers for rural communities:
High School Rural Teacher Corps. We have developed a pilot network of high schools that are recruiting and supporting future teachers. They provide classroom experience and connections to community colleges and EIU to make the transition to college easier.
Community College Rural Teacher Corps. We are working with Illinois Eastern Community Colleges to develop Rural Teacher Corps on four community college campuses to support future teachers at that level.
EIU Rural Teacher Corps. The EIU Rural Teacher corps has been in existence for 4 years providing experiences to EIU students who want to teach in rural communities. In addition to the regular program and courses, they have additional opportunities:
Site visits to rural schools to meet with school leaders, teachers, staff, and community partners to see how they function
Professional learningon topics from our rural partners. This spring we offered a technology/remote learning series on the 4th Thursday of each month, and sessions on poverty, high leverage practices,
Special projects in schools. We have been limited over the past year for in-person projects. We had develop family engagement programs in schools, special reading projects with elementary students, and worked on problem solving teams
Community activities. Last year our RTC students collected devices for a local school after the pandemic started and some families did not have the tools for online learning. We currently have several students working in their home districts on community explorations to see how the schools and communities work together. They are developing projects to support food pantries, collect clothing, and identify how they will work with community partners when they become teachers.
New Teacher Rural Teacher Corps. We have a Zoom-based new teacher support group that met last year on a weekly basis to provide support for new teachers during the pandemic and have been meeting monthly this school year. They are eligible for mini-grants each year and we provide one membership to a professional organization with a local chapter.
Networking. Once a year, we host a Rural Networking night that connects our school partners with undergraduate teacher candidates. This year our Networking Night will be virtual.
Sustainability. We are working with partners to develop long-term sustainability plans to continue supporting candidates over the long term through fundraising. We are working with the Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation to raise money to support these Rural Teacher Corps. This spring we are providing our second round of new teacher mini-grants for new teachers. Our goal is to create a special scholarship this year for high school students who want to teach in rural communities.
