“Rural leaders are reimagining student and community success by forming Rural  Collaboratives as other regions refer to these programs, which bring together local school districts, higher education institutions, employers, and regional development partners to expand rural students’ access to high-quality college and career pathways that also benefit the community."

“While we may have more flexibility and agility than traditional public schools, the practices we developed can be successfully applied anywhere."

“We looked across the street, we looked at close neighbors and said, 'What are you guys doing well and what can we take advantage of as a school district?'" said Michael Gonzales, executive director of Rural Schools Innovation Zone, a nonprofit that runs the initiative."

"Building the School Autonomy Framework became much bigger than the framework itself. It’s been about the process. With CPRL’s help, we used a people and process lens to develop the framework. It’s been about building relationships, communicating transparently, delivering on what we had promised, and building systems that include accountability but also support."