WHY RURAL SCHOOLS?

The region of southwestern Pennsylvania and contiguous West Virginia counties is full of rich diversity, unique opportunities, and varying educational needs. This collaborative seeks to unite rural educators and communities around common goals and themes in education.

Our Aims

At the Rural Schools Collaborative, we are dedicated to uplifting and empowering rural educators by fostering a vibrant, inclusive network where every rural educator has a voice.  Our work is grounded in Remake Learning’s 5 C’s:

  • We convene: We bring together diverse voices of rural communities consisting of educators, administrators, and community leaders to create a vibrant and inclusive network.
  • We coordinate: We strive to create a cohesive support system that elevates education in rural communities through streamlined resources and efforts across the rural region for maximum impact. We foster community partnerships and encourage collaborative projects for innovative-problem-solving.
  • We catalyze new ideas: We support innovation, and we encourage creative thinking and experimentation. By providing support and partnership for development of projects.
  • We communicate: We serve as a conduit for information, ensuring that we share success stories, challenges, resources, and opportunities within our network. The bi-monthly Regional Update newsletter allows all stakeholders to stay informed and engaged.
  • We celebrate: We advocate for the needs and strengths of rural schools and communities, and ensure they receive appropriate recognition and support. We champion rural educators through our Rural Reflections post that spotlights exceptional educators and how they are transforming education in their school community.

Our Projects

Rural Reflections: A Rural Educator Spotlight

Rural Reflections is a space where we shine a spotlight on the extraordinary teachers who are making a difference in their school communities. Explore their stories, learn about their innovative teaching practices, and discover the impact they have on their students and communities.

Outdoor Learning and Environmental Education Summit

Hosted by the Southwest PA Environmental Literacy Network and the Outdoor Learning Collaborative with the primary goal of empowering educators with the knowledge, tools, and inspiration they need to integrate environmental literacy and sustainability and outdoor learning experiences into their curricula and teaching practices.

Beyond the Classroom: An Educational Podcast

Through a collaboration between Intermediate Unit 1 and the Rural Schools Collaborative, Beyond the Classroom brings you engaging conversations about the challenges and exciting opportunities in today’s educational world.

We will sit down and discuss with local leaders to explore innovative strategies, resources, and initiatives shaping the future of education. Episodes will feature district highlights and recaps of local events happening in schools and communities across southwestern Pennsylvania. From celebrating success stories to addressing issues, this podcast offers a platform to inspire and support educators in their mission to make a difference. Beyond the Classroom will provide valuable tools and fresh perspectives to help navigate the evolving world of education in today’s classroom.

A map of the counties and school districts included in Intermediate Unit 1.

Intermediate Unit 1 District Spotlight

Here you will find exactly that – a spotlight shown on all the amazing things taking place in the school districts within the Intermediate Unit 1 region. Whether it’s innovative coursework and technology available to the students, or a service project that made a difference in a student’s community, we want you to know about it!

Intermediate Unit 1 is comprised of 25 school districts, from the Burgettstown Blue Devils at the top of Washington County, to the West Greene Pioneers down in Greene County on the PA/WV border, all the way over to the Connellsville Falcons on the far-right edge of Fayette County, and everywhere in between. Also included are five career and technology centers and several nonpublic schools.

Our Collaboratives

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Join the Rural Schools Collaborative to help build the regional community of educators working and living in the rural communities of southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia.

To become a part of this work, please reach out to the group leads to learn more.

Alyssa Moore

Rural Outreach Coordinator

Remake Learning

alyssa@remakelearning.org