2026 Utah Rural Schools Conference has ended

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2026 Utah Rural Schools Conference

Welcome to URSA 2026 at Southern Utah University! All sessions will be in buildings on the upper campus (east end). Here’s the Campus Map if needed.

WiFi: eduroam or SUU-Conference, password "summertimefun"

PLAN AHEAD - Tentative Future Conference Dates
July 7&8, 2027 - Price, UT
July 17-19, 2028 - Richfield, UT

KR

Kim Rasmussen

11:00am MDT

Conference Credit Online Form Conference Registration, Badge Pick-Up & Text Alerts Opt-In AU - Auditorium Foyer

1:30pm MDT

Are We on the Same Page? Unpacking Reading on Grade Level CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Brooke Anderson Putting Google AI to Work: A Practical Guide to Prompt Engineering and Productivity with Gemini - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey Creating a Connected Classroom: Strategies to decrease behaviors and increase academics. ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Amie Huggins From Policy to Practice: Navigating Utah’s 2026 Early Literacy Changes CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dr. Jennifer Throndsen • Piper Riddle Coaching Learning Intentions and Success Criteria as Formative Assessment Opportunities GC 407 - General Classroom Building, Room 407Stephanie Davis Teacher Leaders as the Engine of School Improvement: From Strategy to Practice SC 114 - Science Center, Room 114Cori Groth • Shalon Jones-Miller • Kody Colvin • Sarah Jarnagin The Power of Tier 1: Planning and Delivering Explicit Instruction SC 129 - Science Center, Room 129Jenny Blauer

2:50pm MDT

Using the Early Math Assessment Data SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Jared Wright • Teresa McEntire Your New AI Teacher's Aide from Google: Fast-Track Your Prep with NotebookLM - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey Rediscovering True Education: Classroom Practices That Actually Work GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Kenneth Applegate The Teacher Brain Budget Hack CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Mary Saylor A Brief Introduction to Trust-Based Relational Interventions (TBRI) GC 303 - General Classroom Building, Room 303Lauren Ezzell

8:00am MDT

🎒 Explore the Exhibitor Hall & Educational Partners CC Great Hall - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Great Hall (200 Level) Conference Registration, Badge Pick-Up & Text Alerts Opt-In AU - Auditorium Foyer

11:10am MDT

The Science of Learning in Utah Math Classrooms GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Jennie Earl

3:10pm MDT

Your Custom AI Toolbox: Save Time by Building Reusable Gemini "Gems" - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey Scaffolding Tier 1 Phonics Instruction CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dr. Jennifer Throndsen Leaving Children Behind: Grade Retention in the 21st Century CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Pam Powell

8:00am MDT

🎒 Explore the Exhibitor Hall & Educational Partners CC Great Hall - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Great Hall (200 Level) Conference Credit Online Form

9:50am MDT

Joanna Andres Breakout Session AU - AuditoriumJoanna Andres Understanding & Supporting Student Behavior: A Teacher-Centered Approach GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Amanda Powell

11:10am MDT

Bringing Characters to Life Using Adobe Character Animator ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Rob Bentley Beyond the Read Aloud: Bringing Stories to Life CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Sally Baird