K-12 STEM Education and Workforce Development in Rural Areas (2025) / Chapter Skim
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3 Education Policy, Funding, and Programs in Rural Areas
3 Education Policy, Funding, and Programs in Rural Areas
Pages 63-102
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From page 63... ...
. States have different variations or combinations of these school categories, and educational priorities are set by policies enacted by state education agencies and legislatures.
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From page 64... ...
identified five areas that may affect rural students' access to quality learning opportunities: • insufficient funding due to declining rural populations and econo mies in some areas, • a digital divide that impedes students from accessing learning re sources and developing digital literacy, • local schools that lack the capacity to meet students' needs, • a worsening teacher shortage made even more apparent in rural schools by the COVID-19 pandemic, and • a lack of research on policy and praxis issues relevant to rural education. As more and more families leave rural areas, potential available funding for schools further declines, affecting school districts' capacity to offer either the STEM programming and coursework offered in suburban and urban schools or qualified educators to provide instruction.
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. Rural students have fewer opportunities to take STEM courses: 62 percent of rural schools offered at least one STEM course, compared to 88 percent of urban schools and 93 percent of suburban schools.
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And when rural schools do offer STEM courses, these are much more likely to be "alternative" or "applied" courses, which decrease access to advanced coursework (Wolfe et al., 2023)
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. In summary, the rural STEM teacher shortage impacts rural students' ability to access STEM pathways through postsecondary education or workforce development opportunities.
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added a cultural component to the barriers facing rural STEM education by recognizing an idea in rural communities that students must move away to have a successful career. Research has shown that students who pursue studies in STEM fields often end up leaving their rural communities (Peterson et al., 2015)
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Rural students and their families have fewer out-of-school and cocurricular STEM learning opportunities (Saw & Agger, 2021; Showalter et al., 2017)
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Informal Learning Opportunities Rural communities lack large informal built environments for STEM, such as science centers, zoos, and botanical gardens, which are often found in urban ecosystems, but numerous local assets such as schools, libraries, museums, clubs, and supportive organizations like 4-H and Scouting America are available. Rural libraries and museums play a critical role in educating and supporting the learning of rural students.
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From page 71... ...
. POLICIES THAT SUPPORT OR LIMIT STEM LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR RURAL STUDENTS While all communities benefit from federal and state initiatives promoting high-quality STEM education and workforce development, rural communities have enjoyed disproportionately less attention and funding from both.
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FEDERAL POLICY Research shows that STEM-related activities and programs have been integrated in many K–12 curricula and course offerings but that there is a significant gap in the ability of rural schools to access these resources. Barriers to access are not a function of rural communities but of the current social and political landscape, which includes legislation that routinely ignores or discounts rural experiences and needs (Williams & Grooms, 2016)
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From page 73... ...
Since rural schools tend to be small and many of them experience depopulation, the amount of funding they receive is limited although their needs are greater than those in other locales. Federal Programs As the committee grappled with the funding inequities seen in many rural areas, it became evident that a thorough exploration of the number of federal programs supporting rural students, preK–12 STEM education, and workforce development was necessary.
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• Relatively few programs prioritize rural communities. • Even fewer programs prioritize preK–12 STEM education in rural communities.
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STEM education programs and (b) workforce development programs with preK–12 education and programs targeted to rural communities.
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Workforce Development Programs That Intersect with PreK–12 Education and Rural Communities The funding agencies and funding patterns of federal workforce development programs are similar to those of STEM education programs (Figure 3-2)
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The committee found 11 such programs, shown in Figure 3-2, and they illustrate the main conclusion of this report: that while the federal government invests broadly in terms of the sheer number of programs, very many of them are at best tangentially related to preK–12 education, STEM, rural communities, or workforce development. Many of those that are more directly connected
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3 offers a different, strategic approach to supporting preK–12 STEM education and workforce development. Even this program, however, could be more strategically targeted to rural communities.
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. Award amounts reflect only the award amount for FY 2024, not the total amount awarded over multiple fiscal years.
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. In addition, many of the awards were connected to STEM workforce development as it relates to postsecondary education in bachelor degree programs, but given the committee's statement of task, only awards that described workforce development related to preK–12 education, including dual enrollment, certifications, transitions to associate degree programs, and STEM teacher education, were included in this analysis.
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In addition, several grants included activities for postsecondary education and workforce development and/or teacher learning. Table 3-3 shows the other foci of awards from all directorates except EDU, which is shown in Table 3-4.
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. Many of the awards included aspects of educational research: one in DGE (focused on turnover in the STEM teacher workforce in highneeds areas such as rural communities)
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Finally, three different Small Business Innovation Research projects in the TIP directorate focus on connectivity through mobile broadband and other wireless communications that could serve remote areas. Quality of Federal Programs The number of federal programs provides some insight into the level of federal support for preK–12 STEM education and workforce development in rural communities.
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From page 84... ...
Second, although several of these programs support preK–12 STEM education and workforce development in rural communities, they do so primarily or exclusively because grantees choose to do so, not because of a strategic prioritization of resources to support rural STEM learning. Finally, while the distributed choice model is the default for federal programs, NASA demonstrates that a more strategic prioritization can guide federal support for rural STEM, and NSF illustrates a blending of the two.
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From page 85... ...
program funds grantees to support "full-service community schools that improve the coordination, integration, accessibility, and effectiveness of services for children and families."5 Like 21CCLC, PN and FSCS require a focus on STEM insofar as improved mathematics achievement is a key outcome measure and, although they consider additional STEM learning opportunities and workforce development, the integration of such activities is left to the discretion of grantees. PN grants have a term of up to 24 months, and FSCS grants up to 60 months.
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Department of Health and Human Services (2022) , and many grantees of this formula grant program support preK–12 STEM education and workforce development in rural communities.
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, like NSF's directorates, is a collection of programs focused on promoting STEM engagement, learning, pathways, and workforce development. Of the five programs in OSTEM, Next Gen STEM supports a portfolio of work on preK–12 education.
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And although workforce development programs abound, none are connected to K–12 students. The resource page for programs developed specifically for tribes, Native Americans, and Alaska Natives yielded one resource for K–12 education, the Indian Education Formula Grants from the U.S.
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From page 89... ...
Although some programs discuss STEM achievement, generally in the form of student performance on state mathematics assessments, the committee did not identify any that set either an absolute priority on rural STEM education or even a competitive or invitational priority for STEM education and workforce development in rural communities. This one change could have profound effects on the landscape of federal support for rural STEM education and workforce development.
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. Per-student expenditures are lower in rural school districts and rural schools compared to nonrural school districts and schools (Harris & Hodges, 2018; Showalter et al., 2023)
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Transportation is important because rural districts generally cover larger geographic areas, and their schools are separated by long distances. Because of their low student population, it is also difficult for rural schools to implement economies of scale to support their needs.
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in the block courses have the necessary certifications to provide instruction related to the subject areas.9 STEM blocks can help rural schools overcome scheduling barriers that often arise because of the schools' more limited staffing compared to their urban or suburban counterparts. In addition to legislative efforts to promote quality STEM education and workforce development in states, several state education agencies took advantage of opportunities afforded by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA; 2015)
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From page 93... ...
. None of the SQSS measures are specific to STEM or rural education, but they provide pathways for rural schools to receive credit in state accountability systems for students who complete advanced coursework, CTE programs, dual enrollment in a postsecondary institution, and industry credentials, all of which are important pathways for STEM education and workforce development.
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for rural students, STEM education, and workforce development. There has been some progress in addressing barriers related to funding, but federal and state entities need to work more closely with rural school districts and provide more adequate support while also recognizing the strengths of these communities.
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, program requirements, and the demands of the application process can prevent rural schools, districts, and communities from applying for and receiving funding. Conclusion 3-4: Some rural communities, districts, and schools lack the capacity (e.g., staffing, time, and expertise)
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. Educational equity for rural students: Out of the pan demic, but still out of the loop.
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From page 97... ...
. STEM education in rural schools: Implications of un tapped potential.
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. Teacher shortages and turnover in rural schools in the US: An organizational analysis.
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. Reinventing rural education: The rural schools innovation zone.
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National Rural Education Association. https:// wsos-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/sites/18/WRMReport2023_DIGITAL.pdf Showalter, D., Klein, R., Johnson, J., & Hartman, S
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Rural districts and the challenges of administering the Elementary and Secondary Educa tion Act. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 29(13)
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