With the announcement of Dr. Allen Pratt's decision to step down in December, the National Rural Education Association is embarking on a search for its next Executive Director, a leadership role critical to advancing our mission of supporting and advocating for rural schools, educators, and students across the nation. 

The Executive Search Committee is now accepting letters of interest from individuals who are passionate about rural education and possess the leadership skills to guide the NREA into its next chapter. This is a unique opportunity for those eager to contribute to the NREA and, ultimately, to help shape the future of rural education.

We encourage all interested parties to email their letters of interest to execsearch@nrea.net, and the Committee looks forward to reviewing your submissions. If you have any questions or need further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Executive Search Committee.

Thank you for your interest and support of the National Rural Education Association.

NREA Executive Search Committee

National Rural Education Association

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The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) represents 20,000 school nurses across the country that work to ensure the academic success of students by making sure they are healthy and safe. Children today face more chronic and complex health conditions than ever before. All students should have their health needs met during school hours. School nurses are liaisons to school communities, including parents and healthcare providers, in addition to promoting wellness and improving health outcomes for our nation’s children.

School nurses are front line health care providers, serving as the bridge between the health care and education systems. Whether they are hired by school districts, health departments, or hospitals, school nurses look after the physical and mental health of students in school. School nurses, as public health sentinels, engage school communities, parents, and healthcare providers to promote wellness and improve health outcomes for children. For many children living in or near poverty, the school nurse may be the only health care professional they access regularly. Access to a school nurse is a student equity issue.

National data indicates 65.7 percent of schools have access to a full-time school nurse [up from 39 percent as a result of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER funds)]. Unfortunately, with ESSER funds expiring, NASN is concerned the number of school nurses will fall back to former levels and we have already heard this is happening across the country. School nursing services inequities exist from state to state, within states and school districts, and between urban and rural schools. Urban areas schools have full-time school nurses in 70.3% of schools versus rural area schools, where only 56.2% employ full-time school nurses.

School nurses ensure that every student is healthy, safe and ready to learn.