Family-School Partnerships in Rural Schools:
Engaging Families to Promote School Success

The U.S. Department of Education has invited leaders from the National Center for Research on Rural Education (R²Ed) to conduct a webinar on effective strategies for fostering partnerships between parents and educators in rural communities.

R²Ed Director Susan Sheridan, R²Ed Project Manager Amanda Witte and Crete Elementary School principal Bret Schroder will present "Family-School Partnerships in Rural Schools: Engaging Families to Promote School Success" May 21 from 2:30-4 p.m. CST.

The presentation will be part of a four-webinar series organized by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of School Turnaround / School Support and Rural Programs.

2013 R²Ed National Conference

The National Center for Research on Rural Education (R²Ed) will assemble researchers, educational practitioners and policymakers from across the country to discuss the factors influencing rural K-12 students' academic achievement.

The conference will foster dialogue about the interrelated impacts of teaching, parental involvement and school environment on rural students' performance. Participating practitioners and administrators will explore methods for incorporating researchers' recent findings into schools and educational policy.

Nebraska Commissioner of Education Roger Breed will provide the conference's keynote address. The conference will feature several moderated panel presentations, each of which will include representatives from the research, practitioner and policy communities. Small-group roundtable discussions will follow the presentations, giving attendees the opportunity to engage in dialogue while providing and receiving real-time reaction through a conference-specific Twitter feed.

R2Ed will provide further details in the following months. In the meantime, please mark your calendar and keep an eye on r2ed.unl.edu!