Clemson University to lead national rural education center

Clemson University will lead a national center dedicated to improving teaching practice and educational leadership in rural settings with a consortium of higher education institutions. Clemson’s College of Education will serve as the host institution for the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) Center for Innovative Rural Collaborative Leadership Education (CIRCLE).

Kristen Cuthrell, chair of the Department of Education and Human Development, will serve as director of the CIRCLE, which will involve faculty from Clemson University and partner institutions, including East Carolina University, Kansas State University and North Carolina State University.

CIRCLE at Clemson will continue the work of UCEA’s first rural center hosted by faculty at the University of Colorado-Denver. The center began through practice-research partnerships explicitly focused on the preparation and practice of educational leaders in rural contexts with the goal of improving learning opportunities and outcomes for rural students across the country.

“Clemson University and our partners seek to continue this mission to amplify rural voices and champion rural educators through leadership training,” Cuthrell said. “We also aim to disseminate the results of this partnership so any educator or leader can lean into their practice, expanding the strengths of their rural communities.”

Cuthrell said CIRCLE will establish and emphasize research-practice partnerships by engaging with alliances in schools, businesses and community organizations. The center will organize this work around three pillars: practitioner professional development, research and collaboration for grant funding.

Partner districts working with CIRCLE institutions face unique challenges due to small populations and remote locations. These challenges include high and persistent poverty, high teacher and leader turnover, low funding and the logistical difficulties inherent in widely dispersed geographic rural areas.

By leveraging collaborative expertise in rural education and research across all the institutions involved, CIRCLE is well positioned to make a significant impact in the lives and livelihoods of our rural communities. According to Cuthrell, the partner institutions have agreed to utilize the research framework outlined in the National Rural Education Association Research Agenda, which includes focus areas ranging from health and wellness to teacher and leader recruitment and development.

“Everyone involved in the CIRCLE supports robust partnerships across all aspects of PreK-12 schools, including educational leadership, teacher development and counseling education,” Cuthrell said, “We will engage local, state and national partners early and often in all aspects of the work.”

Kristin Gehsmann, dean of the College of Education, said the College’s move to host the center aligns with both the College’s continued commitment to rural education and outreach and Clemson University’s land-grant mission. She said the center’s innovative, coalition-based approach to rural education aligns seamlessly with the University and College missions to foster a vibrant learning environment focused on community engagement and meaningful impact.

“We are confident that this partnership will strengthen rural education and leadership nationwide,” Gehsmann said. “We also know it will yield long-term benefits for South Carolinians–the state is included in the National Rural Education Association’s top 10 rural education priority states.”

Faculty in partner institutions have already started to pursue funding to support new and expanded research-practice partnerships. One of many examples is Matthew Militello, Wells Fargo Distinguished Professor in Educational Leadership at East Carolina University, will serve as a CIRCLE associate director; he plans to host regional and national community learning exchanges to involve community stakeholders more directly in the work of the center.

“We are excited to support and partner with Clemson University’s CIRCLE to expand and sustain research-practice partnerships in rural spaces,” Militello said. “We look forward to contributing to this important work and strengthening rural educational leadership on a national scale.”

CIRCLE leadership joining Cuthrell include:

• Associate Director Lisa Bass, Ph.D., associate professor at North Carolina State University
• Associate Director Karen Eppley, Ph.D., professor of rural education and director of the rural education center at Kansas State University
• Associate Director Hans Klar, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Educational and Organizational Leadership Development at Clemson University
• Associate Director Matthew Militello, Ph.D., Wells Fargo Distinguished Professor in Educational Leadership at East Carolina University