National Rural Education Association Official Podcast Dr Allen Pratt, Mr. Jared Bigham

In this episode, we discuss rural initiatives to train students in computer science. We interviewed Ms. Karen Mix, the co-director of CS4NorCal, a five-year research grant. This program creates K-12 computer science training. CS4NorCal was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program and sponsored by SSDA to support Computer Science (CS) professional learning and instruction in rural Northern California. The project is currently building a model for computer science in rural schools. Ms. Mix discusses the role of partnerships within the six counties in Northern California with professional development for teachers and generating access for teachers to attend. We discussed how the various ways this program has supported computer science programs in rural schools. We discuss how schools can find funding for these programs and how partnerships can aid resources and education. We discuss how the curriculum can be implemented at various levels and programs.


Links of interest
CS4NorCal Main Website - https://www.cs4norcal.org/
CS4NorCal Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CS4NorCal/
CS4NorCal Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/cs4norcal/
Code.org - http://code.org
CSforCA - https://csforca.org/
CS for All - https://www.csforall.org/
Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) - https://csteachers.org/
CS4NorCal Presentation - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zvybwzYf4RiIGsfeu3R8J-T8bvcLgE4ssn_x5PWtMT0/edit#slide=id.g2b9a718b659_0_1733
Implementation Dashboard - https://lookerstudio.google.com/reporting/90b34553-bb57-4969-84fe-7af0d3a9c6e4/page/5iGTD

This episode is sponsored by My Credential at https://www.mycredential.com/

In the first episode of the new season of the Rural Voice, we talk about the research of place and process of rural education from a data-informed perspective. We discuss the role of Ground Truthing and connecting data within the domains of politics, culture, and fear of consolidation. Dr. Mitchell talks about somewhere (rural) and anywhere (urban and suburban). The politics of these are what many would expect. Somewhere, lean more conservative, and anywhere is more liberal. However, these trends in the data are not uniform. In some rural areas, some voters lean liberal, particularly for those people of color. More rural suburban locations vote more conservatively. These spaces include many small business owners. More diverse suburbs lean more liberal as well. Similarly, we are seeing a shift toward skills-based education in high schools, such as trade education (e.g., Information Technology). Thus, educational pathways should be more connected to local needs. We discussed the role of emotion and between-group conflict, such as city and rural tension, the reemergence of populism, women's rights, diversity, and others. These trends have a trickle-down influence on education. We discuss psychology's role in explaining the American shift toward being "groupy" and how it insulates us from perceived threats to our values and groups. We talk about access to resources such as money, natural resources, services, etc. This directly connects to educational offerings and how policy influences local schools, particularly concerning policy and law. From the cultural perspective, it relates to migration and the changing rural demographics. At the same time, we see a change in Hispanic populations in rural America, but African Americans also move to rural areas, including the Southeast United States. This can place a financial strain on these small communities as, in some cases, these communities are seeing an increase in migration, particularly for public schools. This will create new challenges for educators in rural education to meet the needs of these populations (e.g., ESL services). The final domain concerns the fear of consolidating small communities to merge services where rural communities may lose their identity. Dr. Mitchell suggests that these issues will play a role in rural education in the future. Much of the curriculum and policy will be related to places, resources, and job markets and how rural education changes to meet these challenges through the somewhere versus anywhere paradigm.

Dr. Valerie Rutledge, Dean of the College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, discussed the large, diverse mix of accredited and licensure programs her college oversees. With an extensive background as an educator and administrator, Rutledge highlighted impressions from the record-setting National Forum to Advance Rural Education conference. She noted the hundreds of attendees from 48 states and abroad, representing the importance of understanding widespread rural needs despite regional differences. If Rutledge had a "magic wand," she would increase rural schools' visibility and confidence while expanding opportunities and resources for rural students to unleash their potential. Dr. Rutledge can be reached at valerie-rutledge@utc.edu.

Michael Crosa helps people across the US to create, distribute, and monetize their podcasts. Learn more at Chattanooga Podcast Studios dot com. He is also the head of the PodNooga Network which can be found on Instagram and Facebook at PodNooga.

Mike Hines, representing business and industry, discussed new federal infrastructure funding for rural schools at the National Forum to Advance Rural Education conference. The Inflation Reduction Act's $369 billion tax credits allow non-taxable entities like schools to access cash to upgrade aging systems for energy efficiency. Hines explained how schools can leverage these funds as a down payment and use future energy savings to pay for complete infrastructure modernization without further straining budgets. The act also emphasizes job training so future workers can operate and maintain new technology. Hines invites listeners to contact the TRAIN organization to connect with him about the 48C ITC federal program supporting rural schools with major facility

Michael Crosa helps people across the US to create, distribute, and monetize their podcasts. Learn more at Chattanooga Podcast Studios dot com. He is also the head of the PodNooga Network which can be found on Instagram and Facebook at PodNooga.

Dr. Melissa Seidorf, superintendent of a small, rural Arizona district, was interviewed at the National Forum to Advance Rural Education conference. Seidorf co-hosts the Rural Scoop podcast highlighting rural education issues. At the conference, she presented on overcoming leadership challenges, drawing from her upcoming book "The Resilient Rural Leader." Seidorf discussed the tight-knit, supportive nature of rural communities that actively engage with their schools. If she had a "magic wand," Seidorf would amplify rural voices at all levels to raise awareness that rural student needs differ from urban ones. She defines the "rural advantage" as an intimate community and family connectedness where schools are central hubs. Seidorf can be reached on Twitter @Dr_Sadorf and will retire after 13 years leading her district this summer.

Michael Crosa helps people across the US to create, distribute, and monetize their podcasts. Learn more at Chattanooga Podcast Studios dot com. He is also the head of the PodNooga Network which can be found on Instagram and Facebook at PodNooga.

Julia Cunningham, the U.S. Department of Education's Director of Rural Engagement, attended the National Forum to Advance Rural Education conference to connect with rural advocates and share federal efforts like the new Career Connected High School grant program. This program funds career pathways and work-based learning to provide rural students with more local career opportunities. Cunningham noted the optimism, alignment, and collaborative spirit across the rural education community in spaces like this. If she had a "magic wand," Cunningham would ensure every rural school could become a fully-funded community school offering healthcare, food, and other wraparound supports less accessible in remote areas. People can learn more by subscribing to Cunningham's monthly Rural School and Community Updates newsletter and emailing her at Julia.Cunningham@ed.gov.

Michael Crosa helps people across the US to create, distribute, and monetize their podcasts. Learn more at Chattanooga Podcast Studios dot com. He is also the head of the PodNooga Network which can be found on Instagram and Facebook at PodNooga.