The Nature of Astronomy Engagement in Rural Communities: K-12 Education
Spencer Wilken (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Astronomy is often framed as a uniquely powerful entry point into science, and yet its presence in small, rural communities remains poorly understood. Using national datasets alongside semi-structured interviews with 62 rural science teachers and many of their students, Spencer probes the complex systems that underpin astronomy’s presence in America’s small towns. They quantify the frequency, nature, and purpose of astronomy courses, teacher demographics, and topic areas of student interest. Their results show that astronomy’s presence within rural communities is much more precariously positioned than previous national studies suggest. Dedicated astronomy courses appear in approximately 8-14% of rural high schools—lagging far behind urban and suburban counterparts (~30% of schools)—and are constructed from informal, non-standardized materials. Spencer argues that astrobiology, in particular, is perfectly suited to align with existing classroom structures and teacher/student skillsets, and proposes a new research framework to assess astronomy outreach outcomes.

TBD
Patricia Fofie (UC Irvine)

TBD
Riccardo Arcodia (Harvard)