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

AI, Bloom, and the Cognitive Gap in Educational Technology CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Valarie O'Bryan Carrots over Sticks: Transforming School Culture Through Positive Incentives GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Nathan Blackner Rising Above Low Expectation: How to Scaffold Learning for Students ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Laureen Graves • Heather Kennedy 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 Sing It. Draw It. Learn It! GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Liz Brown • Kim Montano

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 An Educational Expedition: Rediscovering Educator Joy ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Laureen Graves • Heather Kennedy A Brief Introduction to Trust-Based Relational Interventions (TBRI) GC 303 - General Classroom Building, Room 303Lauren Ezzell

9:45am MDT

20 in 20: Rapid-Fire Strategies for Classroom Engagement ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Emma Moss Canva Reimagined: Unlock the Magic ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Kayla Towner Making Sheets Work For You ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Stacey King 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 Stop Doing All the Work! Simple Adaptations for Your Classroom GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson Commemorate America250 Utah with History, Civics, and Heart GC 306 - General Classroom Building, Room 306Rebecca Kirkman • Wendy Rex Atzet The Power of Student Voice: Enhancing Literacy Through Oral Language GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Denice Maedgen Supporting Multilingual Learners in the ELA Classroom SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Dr. Jennifer Throndsen New Teacher Retention: The Experiences That Shape Career Decisions AU - Auditorium FoyerPamela Pedersen Patterns & Partnerships GC 407 - General Classroom Building, Room 407Heather Paulsen

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 Engagement Strategies for the Middle Years 6th-8th Grade GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson • Melodie Garcia Intro to PCBL: Guiding Principles & Strategies for Improving Learning ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Kayla Towner 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

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 Writing Formative Assessment Clusters GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Jared Wright • Dallas Brooks • Samantha Tinkey From Prompt to Page: Building Better Canvas Content with AI CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Crystal Stott Modern Classroom tips from teachers who love it. GC 409 - General Classroom Building, Room 409DawnRae Smith • Machelle Maxwell Top Ten Ways to Differentiate in Canvas ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Jason Snow Today's Middle School Student GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson • LaToya Paea Evidence-Based Instruction Available to Your Area from The UURC GC 407 - General Classroom Building, Room 407Breyanna Evans • Megan Gale Art Tools and Teacher Tricks GC 306 - General Classroom Building, Room 306Liz Brown

3:10pm MDT

Scaffolding Tier 1 Phonics Instruction CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dr. Jennifer Throndsen Middle Level Educators Unite GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106Kristy Stevens • Carla Winterholler 3D Science lessons- Gravity and Inertia GC 311 - General Classroom Building, Room 311Kristine Erickson • Westen Miller

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 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 You Are Not the Test Score: Reclaiming Care and Influence in an Age of Testing CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Joshua Hales New Teacher Retention: The Experiences That Shape Career Decisions ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Pamela Pedersen Strategies for Students Reading Below Grade Level in Middle School GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson • Laura Mauer Unplug and Play: Teaching Computational Thinking Skills Through Game Play SC 129 - Science Center, Room 129Traci Rindlisbach Understanding & Supporting Student Behavior: A Teacher-Centered Approach GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Amanda Powell Grow Lab GC 409 - General Classroom Building, Room 409Heather Paulsen Thinking on our Feet: A Building Thinking Classrooms Experience GC 306 - General Classroom Building, Room 306Wendy Moss-Doong

11:10am MDT

4-Part Model to School Culture ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Amy Robinson • Stuart Hepworth Bridging the Gap to Grade-Level Text in the secondary classroom marks a critical shift from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" through evidence-based, equitable instruction. GC 311 - General Classroom Building, Room 311Amy Mahoney