Track 2: Design and Implementation of a Culturally-Responsive Approach to K-12 Engineering Education

This project will advance education in STEM fields among rural students. A large and skilled STEM workforce is essential for driving national innovation and economic prosperity, as well as supporting community well-being. Yet, rural communities face unique challenges in accessing high-quality STEM education that both reflect local culture and is supportive of local needs, in contrast with traditional curricula often overlook the cultural knowledge and priorities of rural communities. By engaging teachers and students from the Navajo Nation region in hands-on, culturally responsive engineering curricula, the project aims to inspire future generations to integrate their individual cultural practices and engineering knowledge to address community and industry challenges. The project’s collaborative approach enriches STEM education while empowering educators to help inspire the next generation of engineers to both serve their communities and join the engineering workforce. Technically, the project will employ a participatory, design-based research model to foster collaboration between university researchers, and teachers and community advisors in the Navajo Nation. Building on prior successful partnerships, the project will expand engineering curricula to elementary and high school levels, engaging over 20 teachers and 1,500 students across the Navajo Nation region. Teachers will participate in intensive professional development, co-design and adapt curriculum modules, and lead classroom-based research to assess and refine educational practices. Data will be collected through qualitative and quantitative methods, including classroom observations, teacher and student interviews, and analysis of student work. The project will also develop a digital curriculum hub to support dissemination and sustainability. Research findings and curricular resources will be shared through workshops, publications, and online platforms, providing a scalable model for community-driven STEM education. The project will contribute new knowledge on stakeholder participation in culturally responsive engineering education, with potential applications for rural and other communities nationwide. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.