University of Northern Iowa leads project to strengthen rural STEM education

The University of Northern Iowa will use a multimillion-dollar grant from the National Science Foundation to lead efforts to strengthen math, science and technology education in rural elementary schools throughout the Midwest.

The National Science Foundation has awarded UNI a five-year, $4.9 million grant for a new initiative titled “National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program: Midwest Alliance for Rural Elementary Science,” according to a news release.

UNI associate professor Dana Atwood-Blaine will lead researchers from Iowa State University, University of Kansas and University of Minnesota as principal investigator in identifying and providing aid to “outstanding STEM educators working in high-need classrooms.”

“Through this program, we have the opportunity to celebrate and strengthen the work of rural STEM teachers who are making a lasting impact on their students and communities,” Atwood-Blaine said in the release.

The Midwest Alliance universities will select 18 educators “committed to advancing STEM learning” for the initiative, the release stated, who will receive an annual $12,000 stipend for four years as well as opportunities for mentorship and professional development.

Created by the National Science Foundation after the passage of the CHIPS Act of 2022, the National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program aims to promote STEM education, lift up and support educators in this area and develop career pathways current and future STEM educators will find rewarding.

According to the release, goals of the program beyond supporting individual teachers include creating a “lasting network” of educators and researchers “to strengthen rural elementary science teaching,” using hands-on activities and real-world cases to improve student learning and researching “what works best in training teachers and teaching science in rural schools.”

“The Midwest STEM Alliance will help ensure these teachers receive the recognition, resources and growth opportunities they deserve,” Atwood-Blaine said in the release. “By elevating science instruction that integrates both literacy and math, we’ll help students thrive across subjects and build a lasting foundation for rural science education across the Midwest.”

This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.