Karen Eppley

I am the Director of the Rural Education Center (REC) and a Professor of Education at Kansas State University, where my research, teaching, and service focus on spatial dynamics and rural education. With 17 years of experience as a faculty member engaged in rural scholarship, practice, and leadership, my work explores how educational opportunities and outcomes are distributed across different geographies. My research program follows two core pillars: 1) teaching and learning in rural places, specifically regarding rural teacher preparation and place-based curriculum, and Substance Use Disorder 2) rural education policy, with a focus on school closures, consolidations, and the impact of cyber charter schools. In my role as Director of the REC, I bring a strong record of national leadership and advocacy. I have served a ten-year tenure as the editor of the Journal of Research in Rural Education, the premier journal in the field, and held elected leadership roles within the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Rural Education Special Interest Group. My role as a co-author of high-profile reports like Why Rural Matters demonstrates expertise in using public data to inform state-level policy and advocate for rural school communities.