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

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 Why PD Sucks (and Why Personalization is the Cure) SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Kayla Towner • Dani Sloan 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

2:50pm MDT

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

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 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

11:10am MDT

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

1:50pm MDT

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 The Reclaimed Classroom: Leading AI for Teaching and Learning ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Kayla Towner • Kody Colvin • Matt Winters

3:10pm MDT

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 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

9:50am MDT

The People Puzzle: Solved with Business Chemistry ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Piper Riddle 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 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

11:10am MDT

Mammoth Plans and Jazz Hands: Building an Innovation Lab for Students CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Jared Covili 4-Part Model to School Culture ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Amy Robinson • Stuart Hepworth Norms of Collaboration: Fostering Belonging On and Offline CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dani Sloan Building Sustainable School Wellness Systems In Rural Communities SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Halee Ficklin • Mary Kathryn Curcio Stoddard What does a balanced approach to instructional technology use look like in reality? ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Tony Campbell • Jared Wilkinson