Bridging Gaps, Expanding Opportunity: How Virtual Learning Can Support Rural Education

SESSION DATES & TIMES COMING IN AUGUST 2026

Audience Classification: Online Learning
Audience Expertise: All Levels - This session is intentionally designed to engage and provide value across experience levels-from beginners to seasoned leaders.
Grade Level Focus: Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools
Primary Audience: Counselor / St Support, District Leader, Inst Leader, Policy Maker / Govt Official
Does this session focus on a specific product? No – This session is focused on ideas, strategies, or practices, not a specific product or service.

Presenter(s)

Cindy Hamblin

Director
VLLA
SOUTHPORT, North Carolina, United States
Jason Neiffer

Executive Director
Montana Digital Academy
Missoula, MT, United States
Jeff Simmons

Superintendent
Idaho Digital Learning Alliance
Boise, ID, United States
John Ashworth, EdS, MEd

Executive Director and Superintendent
Virtual Arkansas
Plumerville, Arkansas, United States

Abstract Description : Nearly half of U.S. school districts are rural, serving almost 10 million students, according to the Center for American Progress recent report Preparing Rural Students for College and Beyond by Improving Access to Coursework. Rural schools face distinct challenges—limited local revenue, higher transportation costs, teacher shortages, and fewer advanced course offerings. As a result, rural students are less likely to access core and advanced courses, enroll in college, or complete a degree compared to their urban and suburban peers.
This panel will feature leaders of state virtual learning programs who will share how virtual learning is helping to close these gaps. Panelists will highlight partnerships built in their states to expand course access and support rural learners. Attendees will gain strategies and policy insights to advance equity in access, opportunity, and outcomes for rural students.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to identify strategies and partnerships used by state virtual learning programs to expand access to core and advanced coursework for rural students.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to identify approaches that advance equity in access, opportunity, and outcomes for rural learners through virtual learning.