Ella Pachta of Belleville Member of Newly-Formed Group of ED ASTRA Education Majors

A newly formed group of Kansas State University education majors from rural communities is taking the bull by the horns and addressing teacher supply by encouraging students from rural areas to return home after graduation and others to consider teaching in a rural district.

Inspired by the Kansas motto Ad Astra, the group is aptly named ED ASTRA, an acronym for Education Advocates Supporting Teachers in Rural Areas.  ED ASTRA is sponsored by the Rural Education Center in the K-State College of Education.

According to the 2023 State of Kansas Economic Contribution Report, agriculture and agriculture-related sectors provide an estimated impact of $81 billion in output.  Additionally, these sectors also support 253,614 jobs, or 13 percent of the state’s workforce.

The rural communities that support these sectors need well-trained and qualified educators to prepare students for post-secondary success.

Ella Pachta of Belleville, an agricultural education major, serves as public outreach co-chair for ED ASTRA.