ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. STEM Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1578370
This article is part of the Research TopicRural STEMM Education Research: Bridging between Uniqueness and UniversalityView all 9 articles
Secondary school-university partnerships foster STEMM interest and self-agency in rural students
Provisionally accepted
Seema Rivera1*
Kathleen Kavanagh1
Jan DeWaters1Mike Ramsdell1
Leigha Burkhalter1Len Johns1Nicole Taylor2Megan Smith3
Lisa Beldock4- 1Clarkson University, Potsdam, United States
- 2Harrisville Central School District, Harrisville, United States
- 3Canton City School District, Canton, Ohio, United States
- 4Ogdensburg Central School District, Ogdensburg, United States
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Rural STEMM education faces significant challenges, including limited access to high-quality STEMM experiences and resources. University-K12 partnerships can address these challenges by providing opportunities for students and teachers to engage in authentic STEMM activities, build relationships with STEMM professionals, develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and grow professionally. This paper explores the unique assets and challenges of such partnerships in a rural, geographically isolated region of Northeastern United States. We examine several successful STEMM programs directed by a small university through a qualitative exploratory approach. These programs include a neuroscience program, place-based environmental outreach, a student space program, and a science and technology entry program. Through an analysis of reflections from teacher partners and program leaders, prominent themes emerge and critical factors are identified that contribute to success. A key finding is that teachers naturally emerge as cultural navigators who provide vital support and guidance to all stakeholders in a rural STEM network resulting in a range of positive outcomes.
Keywords: rural, Teacher, University, School, Partnership
Received: 17 Feb 2025; Accepted: 15 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Rivera, Kavanagh, DeWaters, Ramsdell, Burkhalter, Johns, Taylor, Smith and Beldock. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Seema Rivera, Clarkson University, Potsdam, United States
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