January 6, 2020
REI has strong showing at NREA 2019
REI and ECU faculty, undergraduate student researchers, and school district partners attended NREA 2019.
The Rural Education Institute (REI) supported a group of 10 rural educators in attending the National Rural Education Association (NREA) conference in Kentucky during the fall 2019 semester. The group included ECU faculty, undergraduate student researchers, and school district partners. REI faculty presented at multiple sessions and were invited to lead a Health Peer Networking session. REI led sessions focused on trauma informed schooling and mental health access, social emotional curriculum, professional development resources for educators and nonprofits, and teacher recruitment research. The REI team networked with NREA leaders, scholars, and national award winners while representing the unique and diverse strengths of rural North Carolina schools.
- Kristen Cuthrell (REI Director), Judy Smith (REI Harmony), Sharon Floyd (REI Philanthropy)
- Loni Crumb (ECU Counseling Ed/REI Associate Faculty), Martin Reardon (ECU Ed Leadership/REI Associate Faculty),
- Isaiah Gorham (ECU undergraduate Researcher- Science Ed), Taylor Parrish (ECU Undergraduate Researcher – MIDG Ed)
- Karen Dameron (Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools), LaKesia Boone (Tyrrell County Schools), Shawnda Cherry (Washington County Schools)
Isaiah Gorman Jr., left, and Taylor Parrish present their research at NREA 2019.
Also at NREA, two of REI’s undergraduate student researchers, Isaiah Gorman Jr. and Taylor Parrish, presented their research on preservice teachers’ perspectives of working in rural schools. You can watch their presentation here. They have also submitted a manuscript to The Lookout, ECU’s undergraduate research journal, and were invited to present their research at the national Educator Exchange: HBCUs & E3 conference in November 2019.