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Dear Colleague Letter

Amplifying STEM Education Investments in and with Rural and Remote Areas and Communities

Dear Colleague:

The Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) seeks new proposal submissions to continue its support for science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science education innovations, research, capacity, and workforce development in and with rural and remote communities. Through this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), EDU acknowledges the multidimensionality of rural America and welcomes proposals that meet the specific needs and that leverage the wide-ranging assets and opportunities of rural and remote communities, such as the Delta Region, Appalachia, and Tribal and EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) jurisdictions.

The recent Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (CEOSE) 2024 report to Congress, Making Visible the Invisible: STEM Talent of Rural America, highlights the immense value of rural education to ensure workforce participation, national security, and social mobility and economic growth through innovation. This highlight aligns with NSF’s core values and policies, where geographic representation is embedded in the need to broaden participation to ensure the wide range of perspectives and contributions vital to maintaining the Nation's standard of excellence in STEM. EDU recognizes that rural and remote communities possess a deep well of talent to contribute to scientific breakthroughs and the STEM workforce. However, rural and remote communities also face multifaceted, widespread challenges to STEM education that leave individuals and other assets of rural America underserved and overlooked, and the talents underutilized in the STEM enterprise. Ensuring that rural and remote communities are engaged and thrive in STEM is a priority of the Foundation and its program investments throughout EDU.

Over the decades, EDU has invested in STEM education, research, scholarships, fellowships, and workforce development in and with rural and remote communities. The CEOSE STEM Talent of Rural America report recognized four specific areas of sustained NSF investment: informal science education, change initiatives, responsive pedagogy, and teacher education. Such investments have strengthened interest in STEM disciplines and continued innovations in STEM academic and career development pathways for rural and remote communities; supported partnerships and collaborations among informal STEM practitioners and institutions, classroom teachers, institutions of higher education, and local industry; supported rural education experts and researchers in both formal and informal STEM to develop and study transformative strategies for authentic participation of rural learners in STEM; fostered multistate alliances to engage preK-12 and higher education students and teachers in STEM; engaged the public in STEM experiences and research, and led capacity building for current and future researchers, faculty, pre-service and in-service teachers, and informal STEM professionals in and with rural and remote communities. EDU recently funded a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM, 2024) evaluation and assessment focused on PreK-12 STEM education and workforce development in rural areas, that further elucidates the assets and challenges in rural communities and provides a suite of recommendations for future work.

This DCL encourages proposals that support STEM education, research, and workforce ecosystems with and for learners, formal and informal educators, researchers, and local industry in and with rural and remote communities. Rural community members should be at the center of proposals responding to this DCL, reflected in project leadership and research positions, proposal conceptualization, decision-making and implementation, interpreting and communicating findings, and budget allocation. This DCL strongly encourages proposals from institutions of higher education, including two-year and community colleges, community-based organizations, informal STEM institutions, and non-profits located in rural and remote communities, in accordance with eligibility statements in each program’s solicitation. Further, this DCL encourages proposals in which individuals from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are lead investigators or co-investigators. All proposers are encouraged to explore a wide range of fundamental and applied research and development projects and partnerships that may address one or more of the following EDU goals:

  • Prepare the next generation of STEM professionals and attract and retain more rural Americans to STEM careers.
  • Develop a robust research infrastructure and community that can conduct rigorous research and evaluation to support excellence in rural STEM education and that integrates research and education.
  • Increase and improve the technological, scientific, and quantitative experiences of rural Americans so that they can successfully participate in every realm of citizenship, living productive lives in an increasingly technological society.
  • Broaden participation throughout rural and remote geographic regions inclusive of individuals, types of institutions, and STEM careers.
  • Expand outcomes of STEM education and training modalities, including informal STEM and online learning, for rural and remote students at the preK-12, undergraduate and graduate, and workforce levels.
  • Address grand challenges and needs underlying STEM educator shortages in rural and remote communities, especially at the preK-12 and the two-year and community college levels.

All Four Divisions in EDU are participating in and seeking responses to this DCL through their individual programs:

Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM (EES) serves as a focal point for NSF's agency-wide commitment to enhancing the quality and excellence of STEM education, STEM education research, and STEM research through broadening participation efforts that leverage the multi-dimensional identities of our communities. Priority is placed on investments that promise innovation and transformative strategies and that focus on creating and testing models of STEM education (e.g., workforce development, institutional capacity building, academic student support programs and faculty professional development, etc.) that ensure the full participation of all students and provide opportunities for the educators, researchers, and institutions dedicated to serving and ensuring success for all. For EES program information, please see the Division's webpage.

Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) invests in the improvement of STEM learning for people of all ages and backgrounds by promoting innovative research, development, and evaluation of learning and teaching across all STEM disciplines in formal and informal learning settings. It is the only Division at NSF that focuses exclusively on preK-12 STEM education in formal schooling environments and learning outside of school (e.g., television, film, radio, exhibitions, Artificial Intelligence, etc.). For DRL program information, please see the Division's webpage.

Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) aims to promote excellence in undergraduate STEM education for all students. The Division accomplishes its mission through a variety of programs that constitute a comprehensive approach to strengthening STEM education at two- and four-year colleges and universities by improving curricula, instruction, laboratories, infrastructure, assessment, support for students and faculty, and collaborations. For DUE program information, please see the Division's webpage.

Division of Graduate Education (DGE) advocates for innovative, inclusive, high-quality graduate education in STEM fields. DGE manages innovative cross-Foundation programs that directly or indirectly support U.S. citizens and permanent residents in their quest to become the leading scientists and engineers of the future. To better inform its programs, DGE supports research and other activities that will generate exciting new ideas for graduate education of the future. For DGE program information, please see the Division's webpage.

Next steps: EDU recommends that proposers interested in responding to this DCL visit the Division webpage linked above that aligns most closely with their work. Within each Division you will find several programs that could align more specifically with your area of interest. Each program lists Program Officers and direct program e-mails; therefore, it welcomes and encourages your inquiries to the relevant program before submission.

PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

This DCL is not a special competition or a new program.

Proposals must include "EDU RURAL:" at the beginning of the proposal title or immediately following any solicitation specific or PAPPG required title prefix.

Proposals must be prepared and submitted to an EDU program within one of the divisions named above. Proposers must follow the guidance in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and must adhere to the due dates (if applicable) and guidance specified in the relevant program solicitation, program announcement, or program description to which the proposal will be submitted.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

EDU plans to conduct outreach and information dissemination, which will be accessible online at https://new.nsf.gov/edu to all eligible institutions, which includes 2- and 4-year institutions of higher education, community-based organizations, and informal STEM providers.

CONTACT

Dr. Kimberly Scott, in the Office of the EDU Assistant Director, welcomes your general inquiries at EDUrural@nsf.gov.

Sincerely,

Dr. James L. Moore III
Assistant Director
Directorate for STEM Education

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