When Students Lead: Kansas State University’s Future Rural Teacher Conference

On a sunny Friday in late February, several fully-caffeinated students in “Wildcat Purple” colored t-shirts greeted over 60 guests at the Kansas State University Student Union. Groups of high school students and chaperones from across the state gathered for a first-of-its kind Raising Rural Voices: Future Teacher Conference.

The event, geared towards junior and senior high school students interested in rural teaching, was hosted by current Kansas State University college students in the ED ASTRA Rural Teacher Corps program. ED ASTRA, with support from Faculty Advisor Dr. James Alberto, assists students in completing the KSU College of Education teaching program with the goal of teaching in a rural area upon completion of their degree. These pre-service teachers also travel to rural high schools throughout Kansas to encourage high school students to pursue teaching as a career.

Kansas State's Rural Education Center (REC), directed by Dr. Karen Eppley, leads RSC’s Kansas Regional Hub, supported the event through a capacity-building grant from Rural Schools Collaborative (RSC) to strengthen local rural teacher pathways. ED ASTRA is one of 20+ Rural Teacher Corps programs across the country that are working together to share ideas, resources, and support for addressing the rural teacher shortage.

When the aspiring rural teachers in ED ASTRA planned their first-ever Future Teacher Conference on Kansas State’s campus, they didn’t have to start from scratch.

More than 1,600 miles away from Kansas State sits Chico State University, anchoring RSC’s Northern California Regional Hub. There, Dr. Karen Schreder empowered college students to launch their own Rural Student Conference in 2025. The North State Student Ambassadors, a rural student affinity group on Chico State’s campus, planned and facilitated the event to engage rural high schoolers, demystify the college-going experience, and celebrate rurality.

Dr. Eppley and the Kansas State team not only connected with Chico State for ideas, but also invited the North State Ambassador students to co-host the new Future Teacher Conference alongside the ED ASTRA students. The jam-packed day included interactive workshops on topics such as rural narratives and community asset mapping, while also including mini expert-led sessions on rural transitions to college, the importance of place in rural education, and rural teaching 101.

To further celebrate rural roots, the event also featured a guided tour of the on-campus Beach Museum of Art’s exhibit on Rural America. And, of course, the students were treated to the ultimate campus experience of the all-you-can-eat Dining Center (a major perk for many of the rural high school attendees).

“The excitement of this event shows what is possible when we let students lead the way. Who better to design a day for high schoolers on rural teaching, than the college students who just recently stood in their shoes?” says Taylor McCabe-Juhnke, Rural Schools Collaborative’s Executive Director. “From the cross-hub partner collaboration to the positive representation of rural places, students, and teachers, we’re grateful to play a small part in making it happen."