𝟏𝟑𝟕 | 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞-𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐜 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐛𝐨𝐰𝐬𝐤𝐢

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: In this episode of The Rural Scoop, Melissa Sadorf sits down with Casey Thomas Jacubowski, a lifelong rural educator whose career spans the classroom, district leadership, state policy, higher education, and advocacy. Drawing from his experiences in rural New York and beyond, Casey unpacks how urban-normative policies often fail rural schools—and what leaders can do instead. The conversation explores the realities of school consolidation, teacher recruitment and retention, and the unseen labor that sustains rural education systems. Casey shares practical, low-cost leadership moves that strengthen school culture, build trust, and support teachers as whole professionals. He also makes a compelling case for place-based learning, relevant civics instruction, and reframing rural education through an “advantage” lens rather than deficit thinking. This episode is a thoughtful blend of research, storytelling, and actionable insight for rural leaders who want to protect what makes their communities strong while preparing students for the future. 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬: 00:00 Introduction to The Rural Scoop 00:46 Meet Casey Jacobowsky: From Classroom to Policy Table 02:56 Casey's Journey in Rural Education 06:26 Challenges and Realities of Rural Schools 09:41 Urban Norms vs. Rural Realities 13:35 Consolidation in Rural Schools 20:23 Teacher Retention Strategies 28:05 Balancing Managerial and Instructional Leadership 29:57 Advocating for Teachers and Students 32:34 Addressing Poverty and Inequality in Schools 35:33 Teaching Civics in Rural Schools 38:25 Empowering Student Leadership and Community Involvement 48:43 Challenges and Opportunities in Rural Education 54:26 The Rural Advantage 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Rural schools are not broken—they are deeply resilient, innovative, and rooted in community. In this episode, Casey Jacubowski reminds us that the true strength of rural education lies in relationships, relevance, and place-based opportunity. When leaders focus on what they can control, honor the work of educators, and advocate using real stories, rural schools don’t just survive—they thrive. If this conversation sparked an idea or challenged your thinking, consider sharing it with a colleague or exploring one of Casey’s books. Your stories and experiences continue to strengthen the shared work of rural leadership. Remember: In rural leadership, our strength is in our shared story. When we lead together, we thrive together. 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 & 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞: © 2026 Melissa Sadorf / The Rural Scoop. All rights reserved. The content of The Rural Scoop, including podcast episodes, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and other original materials, is protected by copyright. No portion of this content may be reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the copyright owner. Brief quotations or other uses may be permitted under applicable fair-use principles. For permission requests, please contact: Dr. Melissa Sadorf Email: [email protected] Phone: (520) 266-0081