Rural Educators Collaborative Conference Brings Over 900 Educators To Oneonta

ONEONTA – Over 900 educators from across the region gathered at SUNY Oneonta on Friday for “Educating for the Future,” the first conference of the new Rural Educators Collaborative, made up of DCMO BOCES, ONC BOCES and SUNY Oneonta. The conference brought together teachers, administrators, pre-service teachers, and education leaders from across rural districts to engage in collaborative discussions, explore innovative practices, and reflect on what it means to prepare students for success in an ever-changing world.

Dr. Enrique Morales-Díaz, SUNY Oneonta Provost, welcomed attendees to the campus. The conference featured an opening address by NYS Education Department Commissioner Dr. Betty A. Rosa, followed by a question and answer session with Dr. Rosa and Dr. Jeffrey Matteson, Senior Deputy Commissioner for Education Policy, moderated by Dr. Catherine Huber, District Superintendent of ONC BOCES, Michael Rullo, District Superintendent of DCMO BOCES and Dr. Mark Davies, Dean of the School of Education at SUNY Oneonta. Trevor Muir, a nationally recognized educator, storyteller, and author, provided the keynote address. Featured speaker Mike Fisher led sessions focused on the Portrait of a Graduate framework, exploring how habits of mind and essential skills can be intentionally woven into rural schools to shape future-ready learners. They also participated in a number of small-group sessions, choosing from over 70 different topics to explore, discuss and learn about. The Catskill Regional Teacher Center helped secure speakers for the sessions.

According to organizers, the Educating for the Future conference is the beginning of an ongoing collaborative movement to strengthen and celebrate the unique strengths of rural schools while charting a path forward for the next generation of learners.

Educators from 17 different school districts as well as DCMO and ONC BOCES campuses attended the conference. Participating school districts from the DCMO BOCES region were Bainbridge-Guilford CSD, DCMO BOCES, Downsville CSD, Franklin CSD, Gilbertsville-Mount Upton CSD, Greene CSD, Otselic Valley CSD and Unatego CSD. Participating school districts from the ONC BOCES region were Andes Central School, Charlotte Valley CSD, Edmeston CSD, Jefferson CSD, Laurens CSD, Milford Central CSD, Morris CSD, ONC BOCES, Roxbury CSD, Schenevus CSD, South Kortright CSD, Stamford CSD and Worcester CSD.

DCMO BOCES and ONC BOCES are regional providers of educational services to students and schools, including adult learning programs. DCMO BOCES operates school campuses in Sidney Center and Norwich, and ONC BOCES have school campuses in Milford and Grand Gorge. To find out more about their services and programs, visit www.dcmoboces.com and www.oncboces.org.