National Rural Education Association Official Podcast

00:35:57

S0515 - Building an Inclusive Educator Mindset: An...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2026/09/11

Guest BiographyDr. Closson brings over two decades of experience in special education and educational leadership. He began his career as a high school special education teacher in New York State, before continuing his work as a teacher in Tennessee. His dedication to inclusive education led him to a district-level administrative role, where he championed equity and inclusion across schools. Throughout his career, Dr. Closson has been a driving force behind the implementation of the co-teaching

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00:43:34

S05E14 - Rethinking Health Benefits for Rural...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2026/08/28

We'd like to thank the Tourette Association of America for sponsoring this episode.Guest information Brett Jennrich is the Director of Affinity Partnerships at Apollo Health Insurance. His work focuses on building partnerships with organizations such as NREA and connecting school districts with insurance education, resources, and customized benefits strategies. Mark Gilmore is the Chief Operating Officer of Apollo Health Insurance. A former trial attorney, he joined his family’s business after

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00:36:17

S05E13 Why Context Matters: Global Lessons from Rural...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2026/08/23

We'd like to thank the Tourette Association of America for sponsoring this episode. The Handbook on Rural and Remote Education brings together nearly 60 contributors in 32 chapters that examine teaching, leadership, innovation, equity, rural development, and future research. Learn more about the book through ElgarOnline. Guests Dr. Jerry D. Johnson is the Phoebe Moore Dail Distinguished Professor in Rural Education, Professor of Educational Leadership, and Director of the Rural Education Institute

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00:36:30

S05E12 - Building Rural Schools That Last: A...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2026/08/14

In this episode of The Rural Voice, Dr. Melissa Sadorf, Dr. Bill Chapman, and Dr. Christopher F. Silver speak with Dr. PJ Caposey, superintendent of Oregon Community Unit School District 220, best-selling author, and upcoming keynote speaker at the National Forum to Advance Rural Education. A nationally recognized public education leader and the most published sitting superintendent in the country, Dr. Caposey reflects on the experiences that transformed his understanding of effective school

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00:35:16

S05E11 - Innovation, Leadership, and Hope in Rural...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2026/07/31

Official website:https://www.thomascmurray.com/Free resources for educators and school leaders:https://www.thomascmurray.com/resources Books and publications:https://www.thomascmurray.com/books Personal & Authentic resources:https://www.thomascmurray.com/authenticedu Articles, interviews, and podcast appearances:https://www.thomascmurray.com/news Future Ready Schools:https://futureready.org/ Future Ready Schools podcast and leadership resources:https://futureready.org/podcasts/leading/ Thomas C

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00:37:15

S05E10 - Telling the NREA Story: Annual Report,...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2026/07/24

NREA 2026 Annual Report — this is the main link for the episode; NREA describes it as the organization’s first annual report.NREA Homepage — general organizational landing page, mission, updates, and member information. NREA Membership Information — useful since the episode discusses membership value, lifetime membership, institutional membership, and affiliate options. National Forum to Advance Rural Education / NFAIR — registration and information for the October 19–21, 2026 conference in San

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00:29:24

S05E09 - Teaching Social Studies in a Multilingual...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2026/07/17

In this episode of *The Rural Voice*, Chris, Melissa, and Bill talk with Rebecca “Becca” Burnfin, a 9th–12th grade social studies teacher and PLC lead at Garden City High School in rural western Kansas. Becca shares what it means to teach in a community where students speak more than 40 languages and bring rich lived experiences shaped by immigration, rural life, global conflict, and family history. The conversation explores how high-quality instructional materials have helped her reduce planning

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00:34:05

S05E08 - FAFSA, Rural Access, and Meeting Students...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2026/07/10

Resources: Woodward Hines Education Foundation (WHEF) and its Get2College program, @get2college on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. WHEF is on LinkedIn. NCAN FAFSA Tracker High-School Level Data from Federal Student Aid Get2College FAFSA resources Get2College Mobile Center College & Career Readiness

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00:42:01

S06E07 - Rural Schools at the Front Edge of Ai, an...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2026/06/02

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future issue for schools. It is already shaping how educators plan, teach, lead, and prepare students for the workforce. In this episode of The Rural Voice, Dr. Christopher Silver and Dr. Bill Chapman are joined by Dr. Beth Rabbitt, Co-Chief Executive Officer of FullScale, for a timely conversation about AI, rural education, and the future of learning.Dr. Rabbitt explains why rural schools may be positioned not as late adopters, but as potential leaders in

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00:37:40

S05E06 - Building Strong Readers in Rural Schools: An...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2026/04/24

This episode of The Rural Voice podcast features a conversation with Superintendent Tracy Kingsley and teacher Ashley Wood from the Newburgh R2 School District in rural Missouri, highlighting how a structured literacy coaching initiative transformed early reading outcomes in their schools. In response to post-COVID learning loss, teacher inexperience, and inconsistent literacy instruction, the district partnered with TNTP to implement a coaching model grounded in the science of reading. The approach

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00:39:23

S05E05 - Rethinking Success: Music Education,...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2026/03/31

In this episode of The Rural Voice, Dr. Christopher Silver, Dr. Melissa Sadorf, and Dr. Bill Chapman welcome Dr. Daniel Johnson, Professor of Music and Music Education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he coordinates the graduate studies program in music education. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience teaching across the K–16 spectrum in public, independent, and community-based settings, Johnson brings both scholarly depth and practical insight to a conversation focused

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00:34:35

S05E04 - School Choice in Rural America: What’s at...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2025/12/15

In this episode of The Rural Voice Podcast, the conversation examines how school voucher and school choice policies affect rural communities. The hosts are joined by Dr. Preston Green, a nationally recognized scholar of education law, to explore why policies designed for large or urban districts can destabilize rural school systems. The discussion focuses on the realities of scale and context in rural education. In small, geographically dispersed districts, the loss of even a few students can lead

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00:23:39

S05E03 - Making Connections in Rural Math: Jeff...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2025/10/10

Jeff Granrud, the NREA’s 2025 Teacher of the Year, traces his path to rural math teaching to a timely scholarship nudge from a professor during a tough first year of college, then a formative student-teaching experience under North Dakota Teacher of the Year Fred Strand. Early confidence gave way to a student-driven approach as he adapted to how learners were doing math, listened to “unsung heroes” asking for more challenging courses, and focused on making the subject exciting, whether students love

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00:30:48

S05E02 - Building Momentum: Anticipating the NFARE 2025

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2025/10/03

In this episode, Drs. Melissa Sadorf, Bill Chapman, and Christopher Silver discuss the upcoming NREA convention. Together, they highlight the excitement surrounding the gathering and share what they are most eager to experience, from key sessions to opportunities for professional growth. The hosts reflect on how these conventions create space for educators to step away from day-to-day fires, reconnect with colleagues, and return inspired by fresh ideas and renewed energy.The discussion also

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00:21:32

S05E01 - New Voices in Rural Leadership: Introducing...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2025/09/25

In this episode of The Rural Voice, host Dr. Chris Silver welcomes listeners back with an update on the National Rural Education Association (NREA) and its exciting period of transition. Chris introduces his new leadership and co-hosts, Dr. Bill Chapman and Dr. Melissa Sadorf, both of whom bring deep experience in education and leadership. The discussion highlights the future direction of NREA, emphasizing opportunities for growth, collaboration, and stronger advocacy for rural schools and

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00:29:51

S04E09 - Empowering Rural Education: Lisa Rahn on...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2025/01/15

Recorded on November 8th, 2024.In this podcast, we welcome Lisa Rahn, Chief Product Officer at eDynamic Learning, to discuss the company's impact on rural education. Lisa shares that eDynamic Learning, founded by a high school teacher in 2008, provides online career and education resources for middle and high schools. The company's digital curriculum is designed to overcome geographical and resource limitations, delivering content through district learning management systems or hosting on their own

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00:32:07

S04E08 - Filling the Gap in the Teacher Shortage in...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2024/10/25

We interviewed Annette Logsdon-Rodriguez of Proximity Learning and discussed the teacher shortage issues within Rural Education and how companies like Proximity Learning meet these challenges through synchronous online learning. We talk about the challenges of finding qualified teachers to meet the unique needs of rural school districts, particularly in remote areas. This is particularly challenging given the curricular needs of schools around ESL, specific content areas, and ADA. We discuss the

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00:36:54

S04E07 - From Meteorology to High School Chemistry...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2024/09/19

In today’s episode, we interview one of our listeners and rural high school teachers, Rachael Straughn, from Russell County High School in Seale, Alabama. In this episode, Rachael shares her educational journey and narrative. Rachael talks about her childhood dream of being a broadcast meteorologist and storm chaser. She worked hard to be a chief meteorologist on television within a lake effect snow area and achieved her dream at age 25. While in that role, she hosted school learning opportunities

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00:33:03

S04E06 - There is Hope!!! Revitalizing communities...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2024/08/20

Imagine you are in a small town, and several industries have moved out of your community. Many of your citizens have lost their jobs. What do you do now? Meet Jon Chadwell, the Executive Director of the Newport Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Jon’s community rallied together and formalized a plan to revitalize their community. The community worked together to find industries that were previously present in town. The community invested in infrastructure to make the community more marketable

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00:31:37

S04E05 - Information Technology, Student Data Privacy...

National Rural Education Association Official Podcast ·

2024/08/19

In this episode of the Rural Voice, we are discussing student data privacy and best practices in technology for protecting student data. We explore the importance of protecting student data, why rural schools particularly should be focused on data protection, and ways that teachers and administrators should be thinking about data protection. We discuss the free resources provided by CoSN that teachers and administrators can use to protect data in rural schools. We also explore some of the common

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