Students in rural Kansas communities will soon have new resources to integrate science, math, and technology education toward some of the nation’s most in-demand career options – while boosting the state’s overall thriving rural future.

Through grant funds of $600,000 from a Patterson Family Foundation grant, the STEMM FIRE Foundation (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine Foundations In Rural Education) will partner with the Fort Hays State University (FHSU) Science and Math Education Institute to become RAISE Kansas (Rural Alliance Investing in STEMM Education – Kansas). RAISE Kansas will work to expand opportunities for rural students and contribute to the quality of life in rural Kansas.

The STEMM FIRE Foundation was formed in 2019 as an organization that takes STEMM professionals to rural schools to help expose students to career options while providing mentors and other post-secondary career-based educational resources. With this grant and the expansion to RAISE Kansas, more students across Kansas will be able to experience the STEMM FIRE program. Highlights of the program include an “Educonomy” Pilot Program to build students’ educational and economic connections and a new website resource for STEMM educators and students across the state.

Lindsay Schmidt will lead the RAISE Kansas initiative and is the previous executive director of STEMM FIRE. She brings 14 years of experience as a Physician Assistant in orthopedic surgery and an understanding of Kansas’s rural medical needs.

“We were honored to receive the grant and excited for the challenge of the project, the partnership with FHSU, and the opportunity to collaborate with the Patterson Family Foundation,” Schmidt said. “Developing successful high school graduates who are prepared for post-high school education and careers and consider their rural communities as their future home is a driving force behind RAISE Kansas.”

RAISE Kansas will focus on three core initiative areas: (1) STEMM FIRE rural school visit expansion, (2) building a centralized resource for rural STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine) educators, and (3) a Pilot Educonomy Program. Initially targeting up to six communities through the grant, RAISE Kansas will select sites for these initiatives based on attributes such as a vibrant school district, a healthcare site in or near the community, and other economic drivers and employers.

Fort Hays State University’s Science and Math Education Institute has partnered with STEMM FIRE for several years and will serve as the infrastructure for RAISE Kansas. Paul Adams, FHSU’s Dean of the College of Education, said that considering FHSU’s proposed affiliation with NCK Tech and NW Kansas Tech schools, FHSU will be positioned to promote expanded student opportunities.

“RAISE Kansas will help schools and communities work together to create better pathways for students,” said Adams. “It’s not just about being aware of a career but of how to get there.”

According to Adams, RAISE Kansas aims to introduce students to exciting opportunities within Kansas. Experts from medical and other STEMM-oriented fields who have grown up in rural places will help open students’ eyes to the possibilities throughout the state.

“This initiative helps Fort Hays serve its role as a steward of place,” Adams said. “It is workforce development. We know we must start young with workforce development – middle and high school and make them aware of all the options. This gives us a chance to make a difference in that space.”

The Pilot Educonomy program is modeled after a successful initiative in Colorado that works with rural districts to deepen their connections with their community leaders and economic drivers (hospitals, manufacturers, etc.). Educators, employers, leaders, and students are selected to partner in each community, working to identify deficits in their economy and education system and pool resources in innovative ways to construct long-term educational and economic success. Schmidt notes that the most important aspects will be empathy and out-of-the-box thinking among the community partners – along with a local leader passionate about the future success of their students and their town.

“The Educonomy program is an opportunity for employers in rural communities to voice what they are seeking in future employees and then become involved in the preparation of that employee,” says Schmidt. “As such, they are involved in the production, not just the consumption, of local talent.”

This may include projects such as providing additional hands-on STEMM curriculum, out-of-school programs with student-led community projects, or enhancing local job shadowing and internship opportunities.

Earl Legleiter, an educator of rural STEM teachers, will assist Schmidt and serve as the director of the Educonomy Program. A western Kansas program director will also be hired to head the STEMM FIRE school visit expansion efforts and assist Legleiter with the Educonomy program for RAISE Kansas.

In the long term, it is hoped that RAISE Kansas will develop a robust state-wide program that supports and provides resources for STEMM-interested rural students and educators. The network of support created by RAISE Kansas will go on to provide opportunities for communities across Kansas.