General Award Information | Criteria for Awards | Downloadable Forms

Nomination Information for
Kansas Rural Education Awards

The College of Education at Kansas State University presents awards in three categories for outstanding contributions to rural and small school education: the Exemplary Practice Award, the Outstanding Administrator Award, and the Service Award. These awards are presented during the luncheon at the Annual Rural and Small Schools Conference.

This is an opportunity for you to nominate administrators, teachers, board of education members, legislators, service center personnel and others you would like to recognize from your district or region for their contributions to rural education. There is NO limit to the number of nominations you may submit.

Downloadable nomination forms in Adobe PDF format are available here. Feel free to print, copy, and distribute these to others who may wish to make nominations. Return completed nomination forms to the Center for Rural Education and Small Schools, College of Education, Kansas State University, 124 Bluemont Hall, 1100 Mid-Campus Drive, Manhattan, Kansas 66506.

Criteria for Kansas Rural Education Awards:

Exemplary Practice | Outstanding Administrator | Service

Exemplary Practice Award:

This award will be presented to an individual or a group of individuals currently employed in a school system classified as small (4A, 3A, 2A, or 1A) or serving a clearly rural community for demonstrating exemplary practice in one or more of the following criterion areas:

Criterion 1: Curriculum development, staff development or educational practices to improve or provide more equitable educational opportunities for rural children and youth.

Criterion 2: Promotion and development of state and regional delivery systems which bring about efficient and effective education for children in a rural area.

Criterion 3: Curriculum planning and/or instructional strategies which utilize effectively the rural environment and the characteristics of small schools.

Criterion 4: Financial efficiency in school operations.

Criterion 5: Program development to enhance educational opportunities for children and youth in rural settings.

Outstanding Administrator Award:

This award will be presented to an administrator in a rural or small school system classified as 4A, 3A, 2A, or 1A who has demonstrated contributions in the following criterion areas:

Criterion 1: Served as an administrator in a rural system(s) for at least five years.

Criterion 2: Holds active membership in one or more professional organization(s).

Criterion 3: Demonstrate how the nominee has exercised a leadership role in the improvement of education at the local, regional or state level.

Criterion 4: Respected by the community, other administrators, teachers and students.

Service Award:

This award will be presented to an individual who has demonstrated contributions in one or more of the following criterion areas:

Criterion 1: Development of leadership of rural youth and/or adults.

Criterion 2: Enhancement of rural community development.

Criterion 3: Support and assistance in furthering the effectiveness of communication between local school districts and business/industry, governmental agencies, and/or institutions of higher education.

Criterion 4: Support of legislation to enhance rural schools/education.

Criterion 5: Recognition and support of exemplary practices.

Criterion 6: Promotion and advocacy of rural education.

Criterion 7: Leadership in the development of rural education related conferences and workshops.

Downloadable Nomination Forms :


Exemplary Practice Award Nomination Form [52 KB]


Outstanding Administrator Award Nomination Form [52 KB]


Service Award Nomination Form [52 KB]


(You will need to have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader application available for download at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html in order to read the file.)