New Extension Funding Supports STEM Education for At-Risk Youth

Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T State University will participate in a new $1.16 million program to implement science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curricula with middle school students in rural communities in four North Carolina counties.

The new program, called Robots, Energy, and Agriscience; Advancing Equity and STEM Growth Mindset in Rural STEM Education, will launch this fall with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) program, which supports community-based programs for at-risk children, youth and families.

The project will allow middle school youth (grades 6 – 8) to explore their interests by exposing them to multiple STEM domains in classroom and informal settings. It will include a robotics component that will introduce the youth to engineering processes and coding in an environment that values iteration and productive failure. The program will also help middle school teachers sharpen their STEM teaching by offering hands-on educational strategies for at-risk youth and will promote family involvement through informal programs and community events.

“Inequities in education became more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, and those inequities affect communities of color and rural communities disproportionally,” said Misty Blue-Terry, Ph.D., 4-H STEM specialist with Extension at N.C. A&T. “Our response to this challenge is a comprehensive program that focuses on the needs of these underserved students and communities. Our goal is to educate in a culturally and socially aware manner to help these kids succeed in a world where STEM skills are essential.”

Terry is co-principal investigator on the project, along with Autumn Guin, Ph.D., an adjunct assistant professor with the 4-H program at Cooperative Extension at NC State University, and Amy Chilcote, 4-H associate with Extension at NC State. N.C. A&T and NC State will split the grant award, with $580,000 going to N.C. A&T.

The program will target youth in Harnett, Bladen, Vance and Warren counties, which are all rural counties considered to be economically disadvantaged. The team hopes to reach 3,200 youth over the life of the five-year program. The youth will have the chance to visit the campuses of N.C. A&T and NC State to meet faculty researchers and tour facilities. They will also participate in the statewide robotics competition offered annually by North Carolina 4-H.