In this episode, Melissa interviews Dr. Jaime Festa-Daigle, President Elect of the Arizona Rural Schools Association. They discuss the unique challenges facing rural districts like Jamie's district in Lake Havasu City, such as a lack of affordable housing, poverty impacting youth, and teacher recruitment and retention difficulties. Jamie highlights…

Join Melissa as she interviews, Andy Wannemacher, the superintendent of the Aguila Elementary School District, a small rural district in west-central Arizona. Andy shares his journey from a business background to becoming an educator and superintendent in a rural community. He discusses the challenges of rural education, including poverty, English …

Join Melissa as she interviews, Sean Rickert, incoming president of the Arizona Rural Schools Association, who discusses his goals and priorities for supporting and advocating for rural education in Arizona over the next few years. He emphasizes the importance of bringing rural education leaders together through conferences, roundtables, and other …

Melissa and Ty interview education professors Dr. Sara Hartman and Dr. Bob Klein about their book "The Middle of Somewhere," highlighting innovative rural partnerships improving access and opportunity. They share how their passion for rural spaces motivated the book to address challenges like teacher shortages and limited funding. Key to successful…

In this episode of The Rural Scoop podcast, hosts Melissa and Ty interview Allison Mitkowski, the 2023 Arizona Rural Teacher of the Year who teaches English, economics, and government at Williams High School. Allison discusses the tight-knit rural community and deep connections with students and families. She highlights the logistical challenges of…

In this episode of The Rural Scoop podcast, host Melissa interviews Josie McClain, a 2nd-grade teacher at Paloma Elementary School District in Arizona. Josie discusses her journey from Michigan to teaching in a rural Arizona community. She highlights the tight-knit, family atmosphere and small class sizes as advantages of rural schools. Josie wears…

In this episode of The Rural Scoop podcast, hosts Melissa and Ty interview Alyssa Cassels, the 2023 South Dakota Teacher of the Year. Alyssa talks about her journey to becoming a rural band teacher in the small town where she grew up. She highlights some of the unique challenges of rural education, like long bus commutes for students, wearing many …

Join Melissa and Ty as they speak with Kate Peake, a middle school English teacher at Patagonia School in rural Arizona. Kate shares her journey into education through Teach for America, which led her to teach in urban St. Louis before following her husband's career took her to rural Patagonia. Kate discusses the tight-knit community and natural la…

Join Melissa and Ty as they speak with Karen Estridge, a 7th grade English teacher at Holbrook Junior High School in rural Arizona. Karen shares her journey into education, from knowing she wanted to be a teacher since childhood to moving from Ohio to Arizona. She discusses the tight-knit community and cultural diversity that drew her to rural scho…

Join Ty and Melissa as they speak with Dan Matchette, a math teacher at Tombstone High School in rural Arizona. Dan has a unique background, having spent 30 years in the Army as a telecommunications engineer before retiring and becoming a teacher. He shares his journey into education, the advantages and challenges of teaching in a small, rural scho…

Join Melissa and Ty as they talk with Josh Adams, a high school science teacher and finalist for the 2023 Arizona Rural School Teacher of the Year award, who shares his journey to teaching and passion for serving students in the rural community of Page, AZ. He discusses the challenges of poverty, trauma, and attendance many of his Navajo students f…

Join Melissa and Ty as they talk with Jeremy Cabribas Gallardo, a top 10 finalist for the Arizona Rural School Association's Teacher of the Year. Jeremy teaches in Aguila, Arizona and has been in education for 18 years. She shares about her journey from growing up and teaching in Manila, Philippines to now teaching in a rural Arizona community. Jer…

Hosts Dr. Melissa Sadorf and Ty White interview Harlee Harvey, the 2022 Alaska Teacher of the Year. Harlee teaches 1st grade in the remote village of Point Hope, Alaska. Harlee discusses her journey into rural Alaskan education, including the culture shock and steep learning curve. She shares strategies like stepping back to let students teach abou…

Join Rural Scoop hosts Ty and Melissa as they speak with Chad Warnick, the 2023 Utah Teacher of the Year. Chad teaches agricultural education at Delta High School, the same rural high school he attended. He shares how agricultural education and FFA helped build his confidence as a teen. Chad discusses the advantages and challenges of teaching in a …

Join Melissa as she talks to Dr. Kellie Burns. Kellie is the District Executive Officer of the Yavapai Accommodation School District, an alternative school nestled in the heart of Prescott, Arizona. She recently earned her Doctorate with Northern Arizona University after a successful defense in researching disconnected youth in rural communities. D…

Join Melissa and Ty as they talk with Nanette Hanson, proud Upper and a rural Teacher of the Year! Nanette Has 20 plus years of varied teaching experiences in several teaching positions from alternative high school through first grade. Each position has offered her ample opportunities to become a better educator, leader and mentor. For the last 18 …

The Arizona Rural Schools Association has responded to membership requests for support in their local advocacy efforts and has brought in Dianne Smith as a policy expert. Melissa and Sean Rickert, ARSA President Elect, talk to Dianne about her background, her thoughts about the last legislative session and what the upcoming one might look like, and…

Join host Melissa Sadorf and her co-host Ty White as they talk to Amber Nichols of rural West Virginia! Amber is a kindergarten teacher at Eastwood Elementary School in Morgantown, West Virginia. With a Master of Arts in education from West Virginia University and a Bachelor of Science in communications from Shepherd College, she began teaching in …

Join Melissa and Ty as they talk about rural education in Idaho with Dr. Karen Lauritzen! She was recently named the 2023 Idaho Teacher of the Year. Her career spans 21 years in grades K -4, and the last 12 have been spent in Post Falls, a rural school community. Karen completed her doctorate this past year and her dissertation focus was on educato…

Join the Rural Scoop to talk about teaching in remote rural Cooke City with Montana Teacher of the Year Lara Belice! Melissa and Ty explore Lara’s success as the sole licensed educator at Cooke City School—an isolated, K-8 rural one-room school. Lara has taught at Cooke City for the past five years. This year's student enrollment initially spanned …

Join Melissa and her co-host Ty for a special guest on the Scoop! Julia Cunningham is the Director of Rural Engagement in the Office of Communications and Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education. In this role, she is responsible for proactive, thoughtful engagement with rural schools and communities across the country as well as building out a…

Join Dr. Sadorf as she discusses an issue on rural leaders' minds - housing for school staff in rural communities. She is joined by Superintendent John School of Chino Valley USD in Arizona. Superintendent Scholl outlines the process his district has gone through in the last couple of years to plan for and build ten "tiny homes" for teachers on one…

Join Dr. Sadorf and her Co-Host, Ty White, as they talk to Royd Lee, a Navajo language rural teacher from Tuba City City, Arizona located on the Navajo Nation. Royd is a 2021-22 Ambassador of Excellence for the Arizona Educational Foundation. He is very active with advocacy work for Impact Aid funding for Tribal and rural schools throughout the sta…

Join Dr. Sadorf and her Co-Host, Ty White, as they talk to Christina Musselman, a First Grade rural teacher from Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Christina was the Mohave County Rural Teacher of the Year Finalist in is the 2021-22 for ARSA. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and coach, an adjunct professor for ASU, and serves as a Borderlands Rura…

Join Dr. Sadorf and her Co-host, Ty White as they have a chance to talk to Elizabeth Colton. Liz is the 2022-23 ARSA Teacher of the Year and teaches Science at Crane Middle School in Yuma, Arizona. She is a STEM teacher, FIRST Coach, Global Innovation Ambassador and a Patent Holder of Aqua Box! Get to know about this outstanding educator who is doi…

The Scoop is excited to kick off the new season with award winning teacher, Ty White! Ty is the 2021-22 ARSA Teacher of the Year, and this past year was recognized for two major awards. He is the 2022-23 National Rural Education Association's Teacher of the Year, and is also the Arizona Teacher of the Year for the Arizona Educational Foundation. Ty…

The Rural Scoop has the opportunity to speak to two staunch supporters of rural education about their organizations and the work they are doing, including their upcoming participation at the Rural College Access and Success Summit! Sara White is the Director of Programs for Partners for Education. She has worked the last 25 years in the field of pu…

The Cultivating Rural Education series of the Rural Scoop features the authors of the book by the same name! Join me and my guest co-host Julie Duffield of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center for West Ed in this special collaboration as we talk to author Dr. Sheneka Williams about Strong Rural Students. We dive into the importance of community partn…

The Cultivating Rural Education series of the Rural Scoop features the authors of the book by the same name! Join me and my guest co-host Julie Duffield of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center for West Ed in this special collaboration as we talk to author Dr. Karen Eppley. We take a look at challenges that rural communities face in recruiting and ret…

The Cultivating Rural Education series of the Rural Scoop features the authors of the book by the same name! Join me and my guest co-host Julie Duffield of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center for West Ed in this special collaboration as we talk to author Dr. Jennifer Seelig. We take a look at what rurality means, as well as how asset mapping can be …

The Cultivating Rural Education series of the Rural Scoop features the authors of the book by the same name! Join me and my guest co-host Julie Duffield of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center for West Ed in this special collaboration as we talk to author Erin McHenry-Sorber. We dive into the importance of community partnerships in rural schools, loo…

The Cultivating Rural Education series of the Rural Scoop features the editors and authors of the book by the same name! Join me and my guest co-host Julie Duffield of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center for West Ed in this special collaboration as we talk to editors Sam Redding and Caitlin Howley. We dive into how the book came to be, look at what …

We continue to investigate the STEM opportunities that are out there for rural students with my guest, Manny Leon, the Assistant Director of the Office of Early Academic Outreach at the University of Arizona! Join is as we talk about the MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) program, and how the programming can engage your rural stud…

Got STEM? In this edition of the Scoop, we explore all things STEM for rural schools with Cori Araza of Grand Canyon University! She walks me and my first co-host, Jaime Festa-Daigle, through what STEM is, what opportunities exist for our rural teachers and students, and discusses ways for rural leaders to support STEM in their classrooms. As promi…

Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our special series this season! Our guest is Amy Barker, Assistant Superintendent of the Mountain Valley Education Consortium located in Shasta County, California! Amy talks about different distance learning models used by her districts in the last year, …

Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our special series this season! Our guest is Dr. Helio Brasil, Superintendent of the Keyes Union School District located in Keyes, California! Helio talks about the unique challenges his district faced in the last year with social emotional learning, teac…

Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our special series this season! Our guest is Superintendent Tom O’Malley from the Modoc Joint Unified School District located in Alturas, California! Tom, who was also named the 2021 Binderup Superintendent of the Year for his state, talks about the uniqu…

Join me as I talk with Dr. Andy Smith of Prescott College! Andy has worked in education over 25 years as a teacher, administrator, superintendent, and adjunct professor. He recently took a full time position with Prescott College as the Coordinator for Teacher Education. He shares both his experience in the last year guiding novice teachers through…

Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our special series this season! Our guest is Superintendent Bill Stiteler from the Mountain Institute CTED District in western Yavapai County, Arizona! Bill talks about reimagining student engagement in a hands-on curriculum that went virtual, what the CT…

Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our special series this season! Our guest is Principal Kim Schaefer from Whitehorse High School in the San Juan School District located in Montezuma Creek, Utah! Kim talks about how they used school-wide curriculum units to connect and engage with student…

Join me as I talk with Marie Caldwell of SiskiyouWorks! Marie has worked in education over 25 years as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. During her tenure as an educator she has worked to align public and private partnerships to ensure student success. Through extensive grant writing, she has helped to secure over $8 million for Siskiyou Co…

Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our special series this season! Our guest is Superintendent Kevin Imes from the Southwest Technical Education District in Yuma, Arizona! Kevin talks about reimagining student engagement in a hands-on curriculum that went virtual, what CTE looks like for n…

Come get the Scoop with Mary O’Malley! Mary is the Director of AZ Collaborative Partnerships for ASU Prep Digital, working closely with rural schools, tribal area schools, and opportunity/foster youth. She started her teaching career in Nogales USD and Glendale Union High School District in 1993. Prior to ASU Prep Digital, she worked with multiple …

Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - another episode in our new series this season! Our guest is Stuart Packard from the Buttonwillow Unified School District in Buttonwillow, California! Stuart talks about the team effort his district made during the last year, some creative ways they are using new fiscal reso…

Join the Scoop as we listen to a few "Stories From the Rural Schoolhouse" - part of a new series this season! Our guest is Dr. Robert Koerperich from the Holbrook Unified School District in Holbrook, Arizona! Robbie talks about the last year for his schools and community, some lessons learned, and how HUSD is coming back better this fall. Don't mis…

Join us as we welcome Christie Olsen to talk about some work her rural school district is doing around teacher efficacy. Christie shares the structures and protocols they have put in place to develop collective teacher efficacy. It has had some powerful effects on teacher retention in the Lake Havasu Unified School District in Arizona. Christie has…

Join me as I get the Scoop with Julie Bacon, Leadership Development Specialist for the Arizona School Boards Association. In her role, Julie works with individual board members to build their leadership capacities and is also responsible for conference planning, customized full board trainings, and presenting to community groups on the role of scho…

Join me as I get the Scoop from Dr. Rick Dalton, the CEO and President of CFES Brilliant Pathways. We discuss how his organization is partnering with rural schools in over 40 states and is helping to get students on a path to either college or career. The CFES model, where educators collaborate around essential Core Practices, has led to thousands …

Come get the Scoop as I talk with Superintendent Kim Alexander of Roscoe ISD in Roscoe, Texas. He talks about the reasons for the development of a cutting edge offering for the students of Roscoe who can graduate with an Associates or Bachelors degree while attending school with EDU Nation! Listen as he discusses the variety of apprenticeships, wor…

Garnett Burns is currently the Project Director of Enforcement Actions for the Arizona State Board of Education. She has have over 20 years of law enforcement experience working in victim advocacy, narcotics, gang intelligence and internal affairs. She served as the first K9 officer for her agency prior to becoming an Internal Affairs Investigator.…