; and (B) development of innovative solutions to improve the participation and advancement of rural students in grades Pre–K through 12 in STEM studies. (2) Use of funds (A) In general Grants awarded under this section shall be used for the research and development activities referred to in paragraph (1), which may include— (i) developing partnerships with community colleges to offer advanced STEM course work to rural high school students; (ii) supporting research on effective STEM practices in rural settings; (iii) implementing a school-wide STEM approach; (iv) improving the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technology Education program’s coordination and engagement with rural communities; (v) collaborating with existing community partners and networks, such as the cooperative research and extension services of the Department of Agriculture and youth serving organizations like 4–H, after school STEM programs, and summer STEM programs, to leverage community resources and develop place-based programming; (vi) connecting rural school districts and institutions of higher education, to improve precollegiate STEM education and engagement; (vii) supporting partnerships that offer hands-on inquiry-based science activities and access to lab resources for students studying STEM in grades Pre–K through 12 in a rural area; (viii) evaluating the role of broadband connectivity and its associated impact on the STEM and technology literacy of rural students; (ix) building capacity to support extracurricular STEM programs in rural schools, including mentor-led engagement programs, STEM programs held during nonschool hours, STEM networks, ma­ker­spa­ces, and competitions