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

Linda Hanks

Juab School District

Board President, USBE District 14 elect

Linda W Hanks

Find me on

11:00am MDT

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

12:00pm MDT

Conference Welcome, NUES & CUES URSA Award, Friend to Education Award AU - Auditorium

1:30pm MDT

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

2:30pm MDT

⚡ Break Time: Snacks, Drinks & Exhibitor Hall Showcase CC Great Hall - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Great Hall (200 Level)

2:50pm MDT

Using the Early Math Assessment Data SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Jared Wright • Teresa McEntire Bridging the Gap: Addressing Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Rural Utah Schools SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Celina Poppe

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

8:30am MDT

Becoming Better Grownups: Rediscovering What Matters and Remembering to Fly AU - AuditoriumBrad Montague

9:45am MDT

A Kickstart with Gemini: Demystifying the Tech - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey Brad Montague Breakout Session AU - AuditoriumBrad Montague School Leadership Theory vs. Practice: Doing what should be done while doing what has to be done SC 129 - Science Center, Room 129Quinn Kellis Policy Implications for Principalship: "An Unfunded Mandate" AU - Auditorium FoyerBethany McGarry Utah School Safety in 2026: Understanding the Updated Legislative Landscape CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Ashley Pistello Beyond Aspire Plus: Navigating the Transition in High School Assessment CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Teresa McEntire • Samantha Tinkey Commemorate America250 Utah with History, Civics, and Heart GC 306 - General Classroom Building, Room 306Rebecca Kirkman • Wendy Rex Atzet

10:45am MDT

🤝 Meet Our Partners: Exhibitor Showcase and Refreshment Break CC Great Hall - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Great Hall (200 Level)

11:10am MDT

Google AI as a Catalyst for Creative Inquiry - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey Everything that Matters Begins with Trust: How to Create It, Sustain It, and Restore It SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Dale COX Building Better People with Lessons from History... Through the Lens of the Holocaust CC Vermillion Cliffs - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Vermillion Cliffs Room (100 Level)Leigh Routman The Science of Learning in Utah Math Classrooms GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Jennie Earl

11:52am MDT

Igniting STEAM ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Kathleen Riebe

12:10pm MDT

Lunch - Food Truck Roundup at the Auditorium! AU - Auditorium Parking Lot (Outside)

1:50pm MDT

From Data to Insights: Monitoring Student Achievement Over Time via Utah RISE CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Brooke Anderson Great Grading! CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Tony Campbell • Jared Wilkinson From Fragmented to Focused: Strengthening Your School’s System of Support SC 129 - Science Center, Room 129David Boren Today's Middle School Student GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson • LaToya Paea

2:50pm MDT

⚡ Quick Stop: Visit the Exhibitor Hall for a Refreshment Break! CC Great Hall - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Great Hall (200 Level)

3:10pm MDT

Scaffolding Tier 1 Phonics Instruction CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dr. Jennifer Throndsen Navigating Sensitive Materials and Collection Development: Updated Strategies for School, Library, and Classrooms ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Davina Sauthoff Demystifying Mastery: The What, the Why and the How of Proficiency Scale Construction CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Nathan Auck

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

8:30am MDT

Joanna Andres, Utah’s 2025-26 Teacher of the Year AU - AuditoriumJoanna Andres

9:50am MDT

From Policy to Practice: What Utah’s HB 393 Means for Dyslexia and Daily Classroom Instruction ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Paul Black Strategies for Students Reading Below Grade Level in Middle School GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson • Laura Mauer

10:50am MDT

⚡ Break Time: Snacks, Drinks & Exhibitor Hall Showcase CC Great Hall - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Great Hall (200 Level)

11:10am MDT

Navigating the Noise: Empowering News-Literate Students with Checkology CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Chris Haught Real or Rendered? Promoting Digital Media Literacy in the Age of AI - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey 4-Part Model to School Culture ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Amy Robinson • Stuart Hepworth