Rural Schools: Making a Difference is the theme for the Eighteenth National Congress on Rural Education Canada in recognition of what schools and school districts are doing to make a difference in the lives of children and youth that attend schools in rural settings. This Congress focuses attention on the many and varied innovative practices that support learning for rural students. Although there are many challenges facing rural schools that need to be overcome including geographic and demographic issues, rural schools tend to have met these challenges by developing creative solutions to recruitment and retention, programming, instruction, resourcing and partnerships. Although the context may be different from province to province, rural schools throughout Canada are unique in how they find ways to ensure that their students are receiving a quality education that will serve them well in the future.

The Congress this year will focus on what rural schools are doing to make a difference for students through leadership, programming, technological advances and instructional practices.

• Building Effective Partnerships
• UsingTechnology for Improved School Programming
• Supporting Schools through Parent and Community Involvement
• Diversity and Rural Schools
• First Nations Schools: Making a Difference
• Leadership for Improved

• Recruitment and Retention of Professional Staff
• EffectiveGovernance andTrustee Leadership
• Developing Student Leadership
• Developing Effective School and Community Councils
• StudentAssessment and Evaluation: Focus on Learning