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

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 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 Carrots over Sticks: Transforming School Culture Through Positive Incentives GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Nathan Blackner The Dignity Index: How to disagree without being disagreeable GC 303 - General Classroom Building, Room 303Stephan Seabury Increasing Student Attendance CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Megan Menlove 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 Learner-Centered Design: Evidence, Iteration, and Impact SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Nathan Auck Coaching Learning Intentions and Success Criteria as Formative Assessment Opportunities GC 407 - General Classroom Building, Room 407Stephanie Davis Fractions and Art: Beyond the Pizza GC 306 - General Classroom Building, Room 306Alisa Petersen • Zoë Petersen

2:50pm MDT

Using the Early Math Assessment Data SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Jared Wright • Teresa McEntire Teacher Reflection and Instruction Data Made Easy With AI CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Lance Hatch • Yaerli Anderson Bridging the Gap: Addressing Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Rural Utah Schools SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Celina Poppe What Worked When It Mattered? Pandemic Recovery Success in Utah ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Andrea Rorrer • Kody Colvin Rediscovering True Education: Classroom Practices That Actually Work GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Kenneth Applegate An Educational Expedition: Rediscovering Educator Joy ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Laureen Graves • Heather Kennedy Mobilizing Rural Partnerships: Building Coalitions for Student Success SC 114 - Science Center, Room 114Lisa Wisham • James Jordan A Brief Introduction to Trust-Based Relational Interventions (TBRI) GC 303 - General Classroom Building, Room 303Lauren Ezzell

9:45am MDT

School Leadership Theory vs. Practice: Doing what should be done while doing what has to be done SC 129 - Science Center, Room 129Quinn Kellis Why Some PLCs Pop and Other Don't: Small Shifts That Lead to Big Results SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128David Boren 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 10 Minute Movement ideas for Language Arts k-6th grade CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Ashley Boyack 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 Ignite Your Spark: Fueling Self-determination GC 409 - General Classroom Building, Room 409Julianne R. Hunter Commemorate America250 Utah with History, Civics, and Heart GC 306 - General Classroom Building, Room 306Rebecca Kirkman • Wendy Rex Atzet New Teacher Retention: The Experiences That Shape Career Decisions AU - Auditorium FoyerPamela Pedersen Policy Implications for Principalship: "An Unfunded Mandate" AU - Auditorium FoyerBethany McGarry Going for Gold: The New Gold Medal Schools Framework AU - Auditorium FoyerJodi Paker School nurse to student ratio and Utah legislative ratio recommendation AU - Auditorium FoyerMary Kathryn Curcio Stoddard

10:06am MDT

Community Access to Care for First Episode Psychosis ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Kylie Frandsen

11:10am MDT

Scam Academy - Teaching Students to Outsmart the Algorithms CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dani Sloan Managing Change as a New School Administrator SC 129 - Science Center, Room 129Doug Stump Everything that Matters Begins with Trust: How to Create It, Sustain It, and Restore It SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Dale COX Intro to PCBL: Guiding Principles & Strategies for Improving Learning ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Kayla Towner Chaos Coordinators: Frontload the Calm, Teach the Tough CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Kristin Hellmann • Dana Blazzard Easily Supporting Students Through Emotional Regulation & Relationships With Real-Time Skills GC 409 - General Classroom Building, Room 409Nick Marsing • Celeste Marsing The Science of Learning in Utah Math Classrooms GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Jennie Earl

1:50pm MDT

Supporting Students with Complex Needs ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Rachel Jacobsen • Rhea Palkhiwala Writing Formative Assessment Clusters GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Jared Wright • Dallas Brooks • Samantha Tinkey 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 Leading High Leverage Practices in Schools SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Quinn Kellis Teacher's are Leaders Inside and Outside of the Classroom ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Stephan Seabury Rediscovering Health Through Rural and State Partnership SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Halee Ficklin • Mary Kathryn Curcio Stoddard Evidence-Based Instruction Available to Your Area from The UURC GC 407 - General Classroom Building, Room 407Breyanna Evans • Megan Gale

3:10pm MDT

Literacy, Mental Health, and School Engagement for Students with Learning Disabilities CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Paul Black Developing Master Teachers SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Doug Stump Statewide Online Education Program: Essential Insights for Administrators & Counselors SC 129 - Science Center, Room 129Meagan Johnston Teachers are leaders and should be the shapers our profession ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Stephan Seabury Leaving Children Behind: Grade Retention in the 21st Century CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Pam Powell 3D Science lessons- Gravity and Inertia GC 311 - General Classroom Building, Room 311Kristine Erickson • Westen Miller Implementing the Success Sequence: Key to Updated Health Education Standards SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Jodi Parker

9:50am MDT

NUES TAP: Building Better Questions Together with the NUES Teacher Assessment Project CC Red Hills Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Red Hills Room (200 Level)Jason Snow AI and the Classroom: Protecting the Student Thinking Process CC Vermillion Cliffs - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Vermillion Cliffs Room (100 Level)Melanie Valentine 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 Where have all the Teachers Gone (and can we get those left to STAY)? GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Sean Rickert Courtside Culture - Lessons in Leadership from Basketball's Greatest Minds CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dani Sloan New Teacher Retention: The Experiences That Shape Career Decisions ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Pamela Pedersen Emergency Recovery Planning ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Scott Eyre • Ashley Pistello Advancing Opportunity: Utah Rural Education Supported By Community Partnerships CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Amy Ahrens Terpstra Understanding & Supporting Student Behavior: A Teacher-Centered Approach GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Amanda Powell

11:10am MDT

4-Part Model to School Culture ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Amy Robinson • Stuart Hepworth Building Sustainable School Wellness Systems In Rural Communities SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Halee Ficklin • Mary Kathryn Curcio Stoddard