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National Rural Education Association

Convention & Research Symposium

Your professional development is a top priority at the NREA. Our annual convention and research symposium addresses the issues that affect today’s rural educators.

NREA Annual Convention

The annual convention takes place in the fall each year. Through this annual collaboration we pool ideas, share information, and provide the tools and resources you need to deliver the latest in learning opportunities to your home town.

Call for Research session proposals

Share your research about rural education issues – submit a research session proposal!

Since the conference is virtual, research sessions will be different from years past. All research sessions will be pre-recorded and made available as on-demand content for viewing during and post-conference. Research sessions can be up to 30 minutes in length.

We will select a limited number of researchers who submit research session proposals to showcase their work during day one of conference programming.

Research session proposals are due July 31, 2020, and we will send acceptance notifications in mid-September. If we accept your research session proposal, there is a requirement that you register for the conference.

To submit a research proposal, please visit Cvent.

Please see our call for research session proposal instructions for more information.

2020 National Forum to Advance Rural Education

National Forum to Advance Rural Education - Virtual Event - November 12-13, 2020
Conference informationConference information

We are sharing an important announcement with you regarding the National Forum to Advance Rural Education. We are not canceling this year's event, but we are converting it to a virtual experience that will take place November 12–13, 2020.

It will be a new experience for all of us. This year will be different because the world is different. Rural communities are different. Over the past few months, we have seen extraordinary alternative learning experiences, as well as significant educational access and equity challenges. 

Some aspects of the event will remain the same:

  • You will still be able to connect with a diverse community of national experts, K–12 and higher education practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to learn, collaborate, and lead 21st century learning across rural America.
  • The National Forum to Advance Rural Education will be hosted again by the National Rural Education Association (NREA) and Battelle for Kids.

Some things will be different:

  • A virtual platform enables broader, more diverse networking and active engagement around critical issues related to the social, health, and economic impact of COVID-19.
  • This year's event will not take place in Indianapolis as originally planned; it will be an innovative two-day virtual experience, connecting you with rural partners across the country in new, and perhaps more powerful ways.
  • Our event theme this year is Recovery, Renewal, and Resilience: 21st Century Education in Rural America
  • Save the new date! November 12–13, 2020

    Awards and Programs

    We present several awards at this annual convention. You can learn more about the awards and programs offered by the NREA and our affiliates and while you’re there, submit an application or make a nomination for any of these awards.