Rural Students in Washington State: STEM as a Strategy for Building Rigor, Postsecondary Aspirations, and Relevant Career Opportunities

Abstract

In rural settings, leaving for college can mean a young person's first step in leaving home forever (Sherman & Sage, 2011). That presents a serious challenge for college recruiters as they ask parents from Indian reservations or close-knit Hispanic or rural farming communities to allow their children to consider postsecondary opportunities. In this article, the authors discuss impediments to collegegoing that rural students face and shine a light on several efforts in central Washington State that help students connect to job opportunities in fast-growing, lucrative STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers in the region. Beyond inviting STEM professionals to job fairs, these efforts can expand opportunities for collaboration between STEM professionals and rural schools and teachers. Such opportunities might include enriching the K-12 curriculum with locally relevant problems of science, using local STEM professionals to collaborate on learning projects, and possibly engaging students to contribute to national databases and studies. These programs represent one way to highlight the real-world application of postsecondary education, encouraging students to pursue STEM college programs and careers. Maria is Hispanic and lives in a small town in eastern Washington State with her family. Her parents, along with many of her aunts and uncles, have chronic health issues such as diabetes and heart disease. Maria worries because many of her family members have no health insurance.Brian is the third generation in his farming family to be raised on an orchard along the Columbia River. His father, he knows, would like him to stay on and manage the orchard with him. Brian's math teacher urges him to consider an engineering degree at the University of Washington because he has excellent math scores and problem-solving skills.John is a member of the Colville Tribe, who lives with his family on the reservation. John wants to remain close to his tribe and family and feels called to help preserve his people's way of life, to respect the land that nurtured them and protect its resources. He is a strong student but does not see himself completing college.As these composite portraits illustrate, when rural students aspire to-and seekpostsecondary education, they frequently face a difficult choice. For many, postsecondary education is the first step away from the small rural community in which they were raised: a move Correspondence should be sent to Barbara Peterson,

Evaluation of an SCCT-Based Intervention to Increase Postsecondary Awareness in Rural Appalachian Youth

“…In planning activities, we paid special attention to the unique context of rural Appalachian youth, including strong connection to their local communities and family, lack of college-educated role models, possible PFGCS status, and lower college-going self-efficacy. We emphasize the ways in which biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research sciences can help remedy health inequalities in rural Appalachia, as well as highlight the fact that STEMM careers represent a large portion of the available jobs in these rural communities (Peterson, Bornemann, Lydon, & West, 2015); thus, STEMM careers might allow students to stay in and help their local communities. In addition, we encourage all types of postsecondary education, not just 4-year college.…”

STEM Education in Rural Schools: Implications of Untapped Potential

“…Pursuing STEM careers usually means leaving rural communities, at least for higher education opportunities, and leaving is a difficult proposition for many parents in rural areas (Peterson, Bornemann, Lydon, & West, 2015). This issue may be especially prominent in the southeastern region of the United States.…”

It takes a village

“…Rural schools are considered sources of significant untapped STEM potential (Carnegie Science Center, 2010). Some states (Peterson, Bornemann, Lydon, & West, 2015), and foundations (Naizer, Hawthorne, & Henley, 2014) are taking it upon themselves to increase the interest, aspirations, and self-efficacy of rural students considering STEM fields. Peterson, Bornemann, Lydon, and West (2015) highlighted the efforts of the State of Washington in increasing STEM academic challenge, postsecondary interest, and career aspirations of its students.…”