An Invitation from the Director

Spring, 2008

Dear Rural Education and Community Leader:

The Rural School and Community Trust invites you to join the Rural School Innovation Network (RSIN). This new initiative is a mutual-aid network for sharing innovations that improve rural education, especially in the poorest rural communities in the United States. As an alliance of rural education and community advocates, the RSIN will collectively work to connect schools with their communities to improve the outcomes for school-aged children and young adults. I hope you will join this new initiative and become an active member.

While you consider membership in the RSIN, I want to invite you to participate in a free webinar (an online seminar) on Thursday, May 29 at 1 pm EDT. The presentation is titled: Engaging Communities to Help Every Child Succeed. The presenters are Doris Terry Williams, RSCT Capacity Building Program Director; Jereann King Johnson, CSC Project Coordinator; and Anthony Clark, Director UHURU Community Development Corporation. This webinar reviews the historic divides and civic apathy often seen as insurmountable obstacles to bringing about the change necessary to ensure that the most at-risk children in our rural communities succeed. Learn how local groups have engaged large numbers of citizens and organizations and partnered with schools to institute strong in-school and out-of-school programs to ensure the success of every child.

Webinars, such as this one, are a regular benefit to members of the RSIN. The RSIN offers three categories of membership to choose from (district, school or individual) and one will be right for you and your organization. Again, for more information about the RSIN please download the brochure.

To RSVP for the free webinar send an email to info@ruraledu.org with your name and contact information, including your email address, by Friday, May 23. You will receive an email with dial-in instructions and a PDF attachment the day prior to the event. You are invited to use a speaker phone so you and pertinent staff may participate. You will have a chance to ask questions either prior to or during the presentation. Feel free to share this information with your field network.

Please consider attending the free May webinar and joining the Rural School Innovation Network. Don't forget to RSVP by May 23 for this free event at info@ruraledu.org.

Sincerely,

Dr. Rachel B. Tompkins, President
Rural School and Community Trust
703-243-1487
info@ruraledu.org