The National Academies will undertake a consensus study to take stock of existing federal programs that support rural Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development, and to develop recommendations for federal, state, and local action to improve STEM education and workforce development in rural areas. For the purposes of this study, “workforce development” includes the interface with preK-12 learning opportunities, with a focus on the interface between postsecondary education institutions and high schools. Rural is defined broadly including population size, density and remoteness, and it may consider relative degrees of rurality (rather than only “rural” or “not rural”). Specifically, the committee will:

(1) evaluates the quality and quantity of current federal programming and research directed at examining STEM education (in both formal and informal settings) for students in prekindergarten through grade 12 and workforce development in rural areas;
(2) in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, assesses the impact that the scarcity of broadband connectivity in rural communities, and the affordability of broadband connectivity, have on STEM and technical literacy for students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in rural areas;
(3) assesses the core research and data needed to understand the challenges rural areas are facing in providing quality STEM education (in formal and informal settings) and workforce development, as well as the assets embedded in these communities;
(4) makes recommendations for action at the federal, state, and local levels for improving STEM education, including online STEM education, for students in prekindergarten through grade 12 and workforce development in rural areas (whenever possible, findings and recommendations for preK-12 STEM education and workforce development in rural areas will be disaggregated to identify and address regional, racial/ethnic, and economic variability); and

(5) makes recommendations to inform the implementation of programs in sections 10512 (“National Science Foundation Rural STEM Activities”) and 10513 (“Opportunities for Online Education”), which include the National Science Foundation's funding for rural STEM activities and online STEM education and mentoring in rural communities.
*NOTE: The statement of task was revised on November 7, 2023.
*NOTE: The statement of task was further revised on March 7, 2024.