2/25/19 - Partnership Conference Breakout Highlight - Rural Education -NREA

Rural education looks different across the country. From the rural feeder patterns in

Appalachian Mountains, the isolated farming communities of the Midwest, to the one room

school houses of Montana, NREA is the voice of rural education across the country. Learn more

about the scope of NREA work and what some state affiliates are doing to support rural

education for their students.

Dr. Jared Bigham currently serves as the Senior Advisor on Workforce & Rural Initiatives for the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce. Prior to this, he served as the Executive Director ofChattanooga 2.0. Dr. Bigham has worked as the state-wide Director of College & Career Readiness with TN SCORE, and before this, Dr. Bigham served as a K-12 supervising principal, a high school principal, and an elementary principal. Dr. Bigham has served on multiple state and national committees, in addition to serving as the Executive Director of the Tennessee Rural Education Association. He is a contributor to national education blogs like Edweek.org and the author of three books. Dr. Bigham is also an adjunct instructor at Liberty University, teaching classes in leadership, philosophy of education, and school/community relations. He is most proud that he is the husband of an educator and father of five children.