What We’re Learning So Far: RSC’s Rural Educator Ecosystem Community of Learners

Rural communities continue to experience the most acute effects of the national teacher shortage. In response, Rural Teacher Corps programs have emerged across the country as intentional, place-based efforts to recruit, prepare, and retain educators committed to rural schools. Many of these programs developed independently, shaped by local context and urgency rather than coordination.

Rural Schools Collaborative (RSC) is a bridging organization, connecting and uplifting people, programs, and resources across geography and experience. At the outset of the Rural Educator Ecosystem: Community of Learners, RSC acknowledged:

• Rural teacher corps programs varied widely in tenure, scale, and capacity.

• Early evidence pointed to promising outcomes in long-established programs such as the Missouri Ozark’s Rural Teacher Corps.

• Emerging Rural Teacher Corps efforts had strong community buy-in.

• While local context is essential, isolation can slow learning and limit sustainability.

Officially launched in June 2025 at the RSC Hub Summit in Minneapolis, the Rural Educator Ecosystem: Community of Learners is a three-year initiative supported by generous grants from the ECMC Foundation and Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies. Designed to strengthen rural teacher pipelines through local partnerships and place-based strategies, the initiative brings together rural education leaders, teacher preparation programs, and philanthropic partners in a shared effort to support rural schools.

The Community of Learners includes Rural Teacher Corps programs from across the country: Morehead State University’s Appalachian Future Educators, University of Arkansas’ Arkansas Teacher Corps, University of West Alabama’s Black Belt Teacher Corps, Colorado Center for Rural Education, Montana State University’s Center for Research on Rural Education, Eastern Oregon University’s Oregon Rural Teacher Corps, Community Foundation of the Ozarks’ Ozarks Teacher Corps, Monmouth College’s TARTANS Rural Teacher Corps, University of Wyoming’s Wyoming Rural Teacher Corps, University of Central Missouri’s Rural Schools Initiative, East Carolina University’s Rural Education Institute, Kansas State University’s ED ASTRA, Western Illinois University's Great River Teacher Corps, University of Maine’s Rural Thrive, Mississippi Rural Education Association, Ohio University’s Rural Teacher Fellowship Program, and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Proud Rural Teacher Initiative.

Together, these programs have committed to advancing three goals:

1. Engage Rural Teacher Corps stakeholders via convenings, site visits, and capacity-building grants to facilitate knowledge sharing, funding strategies, and best practices for recruiting and retaining rural educators.

2. Bolster the rural teaching field through shared resources and storytelling. This project will invite additional participation from rural educators and community partners to strengthen the Rural Teacher Corps concept.

3. In partnership with MDRC rural researchers, co-create a research and learning framework with Rural Teacher Corps programs. This will explore programmatic structures, build alumni tracking systems, and create recommendations for a future longitudinal research project.

To advance the Community of Learners project, RSC acts as a people connector, creating space for honest dialogue and shared problem-solving. Through this, RSC serves as a central host for a learning community that supports both established and emerging programs. This unique position also allows RSC to become a funding signal and aggregator, helping programs leverage relationships and credibility.

Since the June launch, the Community of Learners has engaged through monthly learning meanings, research-focused 1:1 conversations, a site visit to Montana State University’s Center for Research on Rural Education and an upcoming site visit to The University of West Alabama. This dedicated time to connect as a community of practice has allowed participating programs to come together to uplift their local efforts across the nation. While still early in the project, feedback from participants in the Community of Learners points to several meaningful outcomes in advancement of the goals.

#1 The Community of Learners leads to stronger program design and capacity.

Programs report greater clarity around program structure, recruitment strategies, and phased support for educators at different career stages through connecting in the Community of Learners. Programs benefit differently depending on their stage of development, but all benefit from connection. Hearing directly from other programs has helped newer programs to anticipate challenges and refine implementation.

#2 Peer learning and in-person engagement is invaluable.

Site visits and regular convenings create rare opportunities for candid dialogue among leaders facing similar challenges in different contexts. Participants in the Community of Learners consistently cite the site visit to Montana State University as particularly impactful for deepening shared understanding and generating more responsive, locally adaptable strategies.

#3 Programs share an increased focus on sustainability.

Many Rural Teacher Corps programs with five or more years of experience began as small initiatives and built sustainability over time through additional partners and investment. National, regional, and individual philanthropy all have a role to play in supporting the long-term sustainability of local rural teacher preparation and recruitment ecosystems.

Even modest investments can drive significant change in rural areas:

1. Local and regional funders can make an outsized impact by supporting Rural Teacher Corps programs that recruit, prepare, and support teachers in rural communities.

2. Donors can support the shared work of the Community of Learners by giving to RSC.

3. Supporters can follow along by subscribing to the RSC newsletter.

As the Community of Learners continues, our focus remains on deepening research, supporting differentiated engagement, and strengthening long-term sustainability. This work is still unfolding, but early learning suggests that intentional connection across Rural Teacher Corps programs can meaningfully strengthen the broader rural educator ecosystem. At its core, this initiative reflects a shared belief: supporting rural teachers is essential to sustaining vibrant rural communities, and we are stronger when we learn together.

Reflection written by Megan Cremeans, RSC Managing Director of Rural Teacher Corps.