Louters to lead rural education cohort

NR-S Superintendent Jill Louters has been selected to lead a national group focused on rural education.

The Advancing Rural Education Cohort – part of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) – is meant to confront the many challenges faced by rural school districts in the areas of staffing, workforce development, partnerships and early learning.

According to the AASA website, the cohort will provide an opportunity for rural leaders to network and share strategies and opportunities, as well as delve into early learning practices, develop an understanding of the benefits of higher education partnerships and the value of early college experiences in high schools.

Participating members will have an “opportunity to network with colleagues and engage in conversations about challenges and strategies in rural communities, particularly around the topics of workforce trends and partnerships with higher education,” their website states.Louters, as well as Todd Dugan, superintendent for the Bunker Hill School District in Illinois, were chosen to lead the cohort.

Their first meeting was held on Wednesday, Sept. 20 via Zoom, as their membership comes from all over the country. Louters said they’ll continue to meet every month via Zoom.

Eventually, there will also be one in-person meeting of the cohort members on Nov. 7-9 in Pike County, Georgia.

“Our monthly meetings focus on various topics related to the unique needs of rural school districts,” explained Louters. “These topics range from reviewing measures of quality programming to inequities related to social emotional supports for staff and students working and living in rural districts.”

In addition to her latest role, Louters has also served on the North Dakota Teacher Licensure Collaborative Task Force, and as a member of the Steering Committee for the AASA Rural Leadership Development Initiative.

Now, she’s excited to continue tackling the common challenges faced by rural school districts across the country through her work with this new cohort.

“Our work is important; the issues facing rural school districts are unique and a reflection of the opportunities and challenges that rural communities themselves face,” said Louters. “These challenges include equity, inclusion, financial stability, comprehensive programming and technology infrastructure.

“In addition, values related to community tradition and change are really challenged as we navigate a global community which is moving and changing at an unprecedented pace. We need to have conversations which challenge our thinking to enable us to mold and embrace these changes to ensure that we have quality jobs, economic viability and a strong quality of life in our rural communities.”