About Us
I Am A Rural Teacher is a national advocacy campaign that gives voice to rural teachers. Launched in 2019 with support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, I Am A Rural Teacher has showcased the work of rural teachers from across the country.
I Am A Rural Teacher is now entering an exciting new phase! With support from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies and the ECMC Foundation, I Am A Rural Teacher will be strengthening its focus on rural teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention. This enhanced effort will be four-fold, continuing past programs and developing new opportunities for teachers to share their perspectives:
Voices from the Field: Podcast Series
Through this podcast series, Rural Schools Collaborative explores how rural teachers make a difference in their respective communities. Emphasizing teacher voice, these short podcasts highlight why teachers love the work they do every day.
Uplifting Teacher Narratives
Rural Schools Collaborative is proud to feature the stories of rural educators from across the country. Sharing the experiences and perspectives of these rural leaders is essential to elevating the teaching profession and shining a spotlight on the power of education to empower rural students and communities.
Emergent Educators’ Advisory Council
The Emergent Educators’ Advisory Council consists of graduates from Rural Teacher Corps within RSC’s Regional Hub Network. These rural educators, in their first three years of teaching, advise Rural Schools Collaborative based upon their experiences in the classroom and receive specialized professional development to help them thrive as rural teachers.
Rural Resilience Strategies
Through dedicated projects with RSC's regional hub network, the I Am A Rural Teacher platform identifies needs facing teachers and fosters collaborative projects to develop solutions and strategies that make an impact in the everyday lives of teachers everywhere.
One example of these projects is the Rural Teacher Resiliency Guide, which is available here as a free resource for educators and administrators.
Previously Funded Projects:
Teach Rural Job Board:
The Teach Rural Job Board was designed as a rural-centered resource for schools to post job opportunities and to describe to applicants why their area is a great place to live and work. Teachers were able to browse jobs in the area they'd like to live in. This project ended in 2025.
Rural Educators Across Borders:
This program was designed to facilitate international teacher collaboration in a place-based framework. This program concluded in 2024.
As always, I Am A Rural Teacher is committed to sharing your stories and perspectives. If you are a rural educator or know of someone doing great work in a rural school, we want to lift up their voice. We encourage you to submit a story to have it featured on the I Am A Rural Teacher website.