Wisconsin Redefining Ready

Together with WASDA and the CESAs, we have been working on Redefining Ready, a more inclusive report card that gives you an accurate review of your schools and students. Check out the Wisconsin Redefining Ready website and the National Redefining Ready website.

WiRSA 2021/2022 State Budget Issues

• Fair Funding – Combination of an increase in General Revenue and the per pupil cost.

• Broadband and Infrastructure – Disparities in both rural and urban areas.

• Special Education Funding – Stay committed to 60%

• Mental Health – This has to be more than short term grants. We need to address the shortage of mental health providers and the shortage of school nurses.

• COVID Relief Funding

• Economically Disadvantaged funding – This has always been a concern but the pandemic brought more disparities to light.

• English Language Learners – We need a better way to distribute this funding, so small rural districts with lower ELL populations can afford the needed resources.

• Full day 4K – Count as 1 FTE

• Second tier of Sparsity Aid $100 per student for districts of 745-3500 students.

• Hold Harmless on Pupil Count

• Low Revenue Adjustment stabilizer – Avoid catch-up mode in 5-10 years.

Voices in Rural Education

Wisconsin’s rural residents talk about their memories, perspectives on life in rural Wisconsin today and their hopes for the future.

Wisconsin

WREA and WiRSA Partnership

WREA and WiRSA are joining forces to connect school districts with hard to fill partial positions and long term substitute positions with retired educators looking to get back into the workforce part time to share their knowledge and love of education with the students of rural Wisconsin.

District Administrators and or HR personnel can complete this form to post a partial position or long term substitute position for posting on the WREA website. There is no cost for the posting, this is a service of WREA and WiRSA.

Wisconsin Rural Partners

Wisconsin Rural Partners is dedicated to building collaborative partnerships across the public and private sectors for the benefit for rural Wisconsin.

Advisory Council on Rural Schools, Libraries and Communities — Advancing Rural Wisconsin Initiative

The Advancing Rural Wisconsin Initiative seeks to improve education, commerce and quality of life for rural residents so that Wisconsin’s rural communities can stay strong.

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI)

The Department of Public Instruction is the state agency that advances public education and libraries in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Education Association Council

The Wisconsin Education Council represents the public policy, labor and professional interests of its 98,000 members.

AWSA Voucher Information Cartoon

ESSA Info Page

A Guidebook for Success: Strategies for Implementing Personalized Learning in Rural Schools

Rural Initiative Legislation

NREAC “Generating Opportunity and Prosperity: The Promise of Rural Education Collaboratives”

New Rural Superintendent Article

A Focused Look at Rural Schools Receiving School Improvement Grants

Rural Schools and Communities Trust

Why Rural Schools Matter

REL Midwest

Wisconsin School News January-February 2016 – The Perfect Storm

A rural teacher in Idaho talking about her rural experience

IES – Institute of Educational Research

National Teacher of the Year Survey Results: WiRSA Board of Director, Leah Luke is sharing the following survey information with the membership. Leah is a member of the Government Affairs Committee of the National Network State Teachers of the Year. One of their current tasks is disseminating the results of a recent national survey.

The first link takes you to the survey results and the second to a related blog written by Katherine Bassett, CEO National Network State Teachers of the Year and 2000 NJ STOY. Despite the federal focus of the survey, the results definitely have the potential for being an excellent resource for state-level educational policy development as well. Please feel free to share across your networks.

State and district leaders don’t need to guess what the best teachers think about policy@NNSTOY# TeachersLeading

National

National Rural Education Association (NREA)

NREA is a strong and respected organization dedicated to maintaining the vitality of rural school systems across the country.

National Rural Education Advocacy Coalition (NREAC) 

The NREAC is made up of state and national organizations concerned about educational opportunities for children who live in rural areas of the United States. The documents you can read here were written to state the need for the organization and state the founding conditions and agreements that were reached by those organizations that participated in that process.

Journal of Research in Rural Education (JRRE)

JRRE is a peer-reviewed e-journal publishing original pieces of scholarly research of demonstrable relevance to educational issues within rural settings.

National School Boards Association (NSBA)

Representing state associations of school boards and their member districts, NSBA fosters excellence and equity in public education through school board leadership.

Rural Schools and Community Trust

A national nonprofit organization, the Rural Trust addresses the crucial relationship between good schools and thriving communities.

U.S. Department of Education

The Department of Education promotes student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness.

American Education Research Association (AERA)

AERA is the most prominent international professional organization, with the primary goal of advancing educational research.

Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center: Rural Education Resources

Links to appropriate sources of information relating to rural education.

Center for Rural Education

The Center for Rural Education takes a leadership role in advancing the cause of rural education.

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Rural Education Statistics

Provides access to recent data collected by NCES, as well as access to resources available through selected contractors and grantees of the U.S. Department of Education.

Partners for Rural America (PRA)

PRA seeks to expand economic and social opportunities for America’s rural communities and their residents.

Rural Education Special Interest Group (SIG) of the American Educational Research Association

The Rural Education SIG promotes scholarly conversation about the lives of rural people, places and their schools through research.

Resources for Teachers