How STEM Teacher Preparation Programs Are (and Are Not) Addressing Rurality and Place

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 9:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Preparing Teachers for Rural Contexts: Well-Being, Justice, and Place-Based Education (Table 8)

Abstract

This research explores the critical issue of STEM teacher shortages in rural areas, highlighting the unique challenges and opportunities these communities face. Fourteen institutions across the South, Midwest, and Northeast have collaborated on a project funded by the National Science Foundation. The project investigates how teacher preparation programs (TPPs) incorporate place-based education and its impact on graduates' decisions to teach and remain in rural schools. Utilizing the 3 Cs framework (Azano et al., 2019)—context, curriculum, and conveyance—we identify and analyze program features that address rurality in teaching. This research offers a model for identifying rural focused-features of teacher preparation and reflection on the 3 Cs framework.

Authors

• Devon G. Brenner, Mississippi State University

• Diana Cumings Outlaw, Mississippi State University

• Dana P. Franz, Mississippi State University

• Earl Legleiter, Fort Hays State University

• Paul Adams, Fort Hays State University

• Chrissy J Cross, Stephen F. Austin State University

• Levi Johnson, Texas Tech University