Across rural communities, educators are turning local challenges into extraordinary learning experiences. Students are restoring forests, launching businesses, investigating environmental issues, and uncovering local history. Along the way, they’re building academic knowledge, solving real problems, collaborating with others, and taking ownership of their learning.
Join us on November 18 at 11 a.m. ET to discover how rural educators are making their communities an essential part of the learning experience.
Drawing on the principles of NCEE’s Blueprint: Designing Systems That Work, we’ll explore how place-based education connects academic rigor with real-world relevance, taps into local expertise, and helps students develop the skills they need to thrive.
Come away with fresh ideas for turning the people, places, and possibilities in your own community into powerful opportunities for learning.
Meet the Panel
Ben DeCarlow is a science and social science teacher in Butte Falls, Oregon, with more than 15 years of experience in rural education. He teaches grades 7–12 and oversees a former fish hatchery that serves as an outdoor learning center, where high school students help teach younger learners. His work emphasizes place-based education, student inquiry, and hands-on learning rooted in the local environment.
Taylor McCabe-Juhnke is Executive Director of the Rural Schools Collaborative, an organization dedicated to strengthening rural education and communities. A Kansas native and product of rural public schools, she brings more than a decade of experience in nonprofit leadership, education advocacy, and program management. Her work focuses on supporting rural educators, strengthening teacher preparation, and building partnerships across rural communities.
Nate McClennen is CEO of Getting Smart, an organization focused on the future of learning. With 30 years of experience as an educator and innovator, his work focuses on place-based education, rural communities, and real-world learning. He is co-author of The Power of Place and Wayfinding and has supported school innovation initiatives across the United States.
Daniel Meekins is a Senior Program Officer at the Bezos Family Foundation, supporting initiatives focused on learning and leadership development. A former history and special education teacher in Louisiana, he previously served as Director of Leadership Programming at New Schools for New Orleans, where he worked to strengthen teacher recruitment, retention, and professional development.
Vicki Phillips is President and CEO at NCEE. Beginning her career in a Kentucky classroom, she has led transformational work as a teacher, superintendent, state policymaker, and international leader. She challenges conventional thinking and champions the extraordinary potential of every learner, helping communities design education systems that expand opportunity and prepare young people for a complex, interconnected world.
