College of Ed professor briefs Congress, NSF on STEM education needs in rural areas

Recognized for her experiences living, teaching, and conducting research in rural communities, Rebekah Hammack, assistant professor of science education in the College of Education, was chosen to serve on a congressionally mandated National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) committee sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and focused on STEM education in rural communities.

Hammack, along with the 14 other committee members and NASEM staff, authored a consensus study report titled K–12 STEM Education and Workforce Development in Rural Areas.

“The charge given to the committee covers a lot of ground, including PreK-12 STEM education and workforce development as it relates to formal and informal education; federal, state, and local programs and policies; and broadband connectivity,” Hammack said. “We were tasked with identifying and synthesizing the evidence base connected to each of these areas, and then drawing evidence-based conclusions and developing related recommendations for improving the state of PreK-12 STEM education and workforce development in rural areas.”

On December 6, Hammack along with two other committee members, briefed NSF on the report. Hammack and four other committee members provided a congressional briefing on Dec. 9. Four committee members, including Hammack, hosted a public webinar discussing the report on December 11.

“The conclusions and recommendations presented in the report apply to a variety of actors, including but not limited to federal, state, and local policy makers and agencies, school districts, STEM curriculum developers, and institutions providing teacher preparation programs,” Hammack said.

Hammack hopes that the report will shed light on rural schools and communities, emphasizing both the strengths these communities possess and the unique challenges they face with regard to STEM education and workforce development.

She wants readers of the report to understand that rural America is highly diverse, not monolithic. The report highlights the varying factors that influence K–12 STEM education and workforce development, including remoteness, geography, available resources and industries, and the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic make-up of the population.

Hammack also wants readers to understand that while rural America is diverse, many rural places share common assets such as proximity to the natural world, close social ties, and local rural knowledge – as well as common challenges such as out-migration, difficulties with recruitment and retention of STEM teachers, school closure and/or consolidation, and absence or low density of STEM-related institutions and organizations (e.g., museums, colleges and universities, industries).

“The report shares multiple examples of how rural communities and their partners are or can leverage these assets to combat challenges in a way that enhances STEM education and workforce development,” Hammack said. “The hope is that the information in the report can be used to inform policy, curriculum development, teacher education, and workforce development programs that support STEM in rural schools and communities.”

Source: Rebekah Hammack, rhammack@purdue.edu