Education as a Rural, Public Good: Preparing Maine’s People, Families, Schools and Communities for the Opportunities of Tomorrow

Abstract

Looking toward the future, Maine faces many wicked problems that will require innovative, human-centered solutions. Without such a response, climate change, an aging workforce, housing shortages, widening geographic opportunity divides, growing economic inequality, and other pressing challenges threaten the state’s long-term economic prosperity. Education informed by and linked to rural community development will be an essential strategy for creating the adaptive, transformative change required to turn the challenges of the future into the opportunities of tomorrow. In this article, we contextualize the idea of education as a public good specifically for Maine’s rural communities. We then propose a framework for understanding the role of the universities in supporting rural communities as they try to balance global educational priorities, leverage local assets, and address regional challenges.