The South Dakota Innovation Lab (SDIL) provides professional development to rural and Native American educators to help align education with problem-based learning and community relevance. Through SDIL, teachers learn to design transdisciplinary, problem-based learning projects that address real-world problems and promote critical thinking skills. This approach combines all school subjects and helps students develop solutions while embracing their unique cultural backgrounds. SDIL has worked with 20 districts, 329 teachers, and over 6,700 students across South Dakota to demonstrate how a problem-based, community-focused model of STEM education can work well for rural communities.