Improving STEM Outside of the City Limits: A Q&A with Pam Buffington
Improving STEM Outside of the City Limits: A Q&A with Pam Buffington
Nine million students in the United States—nearly 20 percent of the total K–12 population—attend rural schools. And for reasons ranging from teacher quality to shortages of resources, these students often have fewer opportunities for high-quality STEM learning than their peers in the nation’s urban and suburban schools.
EDC’s Pam Buffington has been helping educators in rural Maine improve mathematics teaching and learning for over three decades. Her big takeaway? Rural schools do face real challenges but are well situated for innovation in STEM learning and teaching, too.
"Though rural schools have struggled to offer high-quality STEM courses, opportunities for rich STEM learning abound in rural areas."
– Pam Buffington
Q. What kind of STEM opportunities do rural students have?
Buffington: School-based opportunities have historically been limited. Many rural districts do not offer Advanced Placement or STEM elective courses due to the small numbers of students and available staff. Students’ participation in STEM-related extracurricular clubs is also rare because of long commutes and limited transportation options. These limitations matter: student expectations in science and math have been increasing steadily, and STEM learning opportunities are essential for all students.