National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education

1. NationalProject forExcellence in EnvironmentalEducation

2. Presenters Bora Simmons National Project for Excellence in EE Elizabeth Schmitz Kentucky EE Council Elaine Hampton University of Texas at El Paso

3. Quick Tour of Adobe Connect

4. Primary Sponsors: U.S. EPA • Office of Environmental Education EECapacity • EPA funded national EE training program housed in Cornell University’s Civic Ecology Lab

5. Other Partners • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • U.S. Forest Service • National Environmental Education Foundation • State EE Associations – such as TAEE • Organizational partners – such as the Kentucky Environmental Education Council, Project Learning Tree, Arbor Day Foundation, Project WILD, Keep America Beautiful, Project WET

6. Tell us a bit about yourself…

7. Promoting excellence in environmental education

8. Our Collective Wisdom • Developed Guidelines through a public participatory process • Engaging educators in a deep discussion about quality environmental education practice • Building EE as a profession

9. It’s important that environmental education…

10. Guidelines for Excellence Publications

11. Excellence in Environmental Education: Guidelines for Learning (K-12)

12. Guidelines for Learning (K-12) • A Resource That Provides: • A common, voluntary set of guidelines for EE • Expectations for achievement in 4th, 8th and 12th grades • A framework for EE programs and curricula • Demonstrations on how EE can be used to meet traditional standards • A definition of the aims of EE • Developed through a broad-based review and comment process

13. Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Four Strands 1) Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills 2) Knowledge of Environmental Process and Systems 3) Skills for Understanding and Addressing Environmental Issues 4) Personal and Civic Responsibility

15. Strand 1: Questioning, Analysis & Interpretation Skills • Questioning • Designing investigations • Collecting information • Evaluating accuracy & reliability • Organizing information • Working with models & simulation • Drawing conclusions & developing explanations

16. Strand 2: Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems Divided into four sub-strands: • The Earth as a physical system • The living environment • Humans & their societies • Environment & Society

17. Strand 3: Skills for Understanding and Addressing Environmental Issues Divided into two sub-strands: • Skills for analyzing & investigating environmental issues • Decision-making & citizenship skills

18. Strand 4: Personal and Civic Responsibility • Understanding societal values & principles • Recognizing citizens’ rights & responsibilities • Recognizing efficacy • Accepting personal responsibility

19. Excellence in Environmental Education: Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Executive Summary & Self-Assessment Tool

20. Kentucky Environmental Education Council (KEEC) • A state agency housed in the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet (KY Department of Education – KDE – is a sister agency). • Created by the legislature in 1990; coordinates environmental education in the Commonwealth. • Governor appoints 9 Council members representing environment, education, & industry. • Funded with environmental fees and penalties through the Energy and Environment Cabinet.

21. Key Partnerships KEEC Programs and Partnerships Programs & publications Kentucky Nonformal Environmental Education Certification Course Kentucky Green and Healthy Schools Kentucky Environmental Literacy Plan EEinKentucky.org Master Plan and Survey – Land, Legacy, and Learning • Organizational member: Kentucky Association for Environmental Education (KAEE), a 501c3 and the NAAEE affiliate for Kentucky. • Serve on the NAAEE’s Nonformal Certification Accreditation Board. • Southeast Environmental Education Alliance • Kentucky Environmental Literacy Alliance

22. Goals Nonformal Environmental Education Certification Program Based on the NAAEE Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators; 137 Graduates since 2004 launch; Four three-day trainings held at state parks and urban centers; Series of competency-based assessments; Continuing Education component • Graduates will obtain: • Increased content knowledge; • Understanding of difference between education and advocacy; • Skills to effectively work with both teachers and other nonformal environmental educators; • Historical understanding of the EE field; • The opportunity to network with other educators

23. Basic Course Outline • Workshop 1: Environmental Literacy & Foundations of Environmental Education+ Independent Study: Historical Readings • NAAEE Themes 1 & 2 • Workshop 2: Professional Responsibilities of the Environmental Educator • NAAEE Theme 3 • Workshops 3 & 4: Instruction and Evaluation • NAAEE Themes 4-6

26. Kentucky Environmental Literacy Plan (KELP) • Approved by the Kentucky Board of Education in December, 2011 for KDE implementation; • Implementation Plan written in Spring, 2012; • Correlations between NAAEE Guidelines in Excellence in Environmental Education for Learners and Kentucky Common Core Standards for Math, and Kentucky Common Core Standards for English Language Arts, written in Spring, 2012; • Strongest connections to Common Core Content found in Strand One; National Science and Social Studies Standards will connect well with Strands 2, 3, and 4

27. Correlations between NAAEE Guidelines and Common Core Standards • Common Core adopted by 42 states; • Some flexibility allowed for limited local control; • Ultimately, these correlations should be relevant for all Common Core states; • Next Generation Science Standards anticipated in Winter, 2012; • New National Social Studies Standards also on the way; • The KELP Implementation Advisory Team will correlate NAAEE Guidelines to these standards as part of implementing the KELP.

29. BuenAmbiente-Buena Salud • EPA’s US‐Mexico Border Environmental Education Program at University of Texas at El Paso • Partnership with El Paso Independent School District • Increase understanding about air quality issues and participation in environmental fields • 20 master teachers are developing ten inquiry-based curriculum units

30. BuenAmbiente-Buena Salud • Create bilingual, air-quality curriculum drawing from social, economic, bi-cultural and political context of El Paso, Texas • Reaching 50,000 children per year • Dissemination to other school districts through workshops and web-based resources. • Includes two case studies: • large copper smelter located in the heart of El Paso • Impact of truck and automobile emissions on public health

31. BuenAmbiente-Buena Salud UNIT EVALUATION BASED IN THE GUIDELINES • Addresses NAAEE Guidelines • Each unit identifies the NAAEE guidelines by number. • Students are making connections to other disciplines and real-world context. • Students examine multiple points of view when appropriate. • Students are developing skills to communicate environmental understandings.

32. BuenAmbiente-Buena Salud • Students examine social justice issues in the unit. • Each unit has clearly identified social justice strand. This strand is appropriate for the grade level and is based in sound science. Students examine this strand through stories, experiences of community members, long term and short term effects, etc.

33. Students take personal or civic action based on the lessons learned in the unit. • Each unit has a clearly identified personal and/or civic action strand. • Students develop a variety of community participation skills • Students use information they learned in the unit to arrive at their own conclusions about what needs to be done • Based on thorough research develop some activity that will in some way lead to improved air quality.

34. Using Environmental Literacy as a Framework • Crosswalks with the Essential Principles for Ocean Literacy, Climate Literacy, and Energy Literacy • No Child Left Inside – State Environmental Literacy Plans • Green Ribbon Schools Awards http://eelinked.net/n/guidelines

35. Want to Learn More? • Offer a workshop thru our Guidelines Trainers’ Bureau • Access information thru EELinked: eelinked.net/n/guidelines • Attend another webinar

38. eelinked.net/n/guidelines

39. Future Webinars May 1st 1:00pm (Eastern) Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development May 8th 4:00pm (Eastern) Nonformal EE Programs: Guidelines for Excellence June 26th 4:00pm (Eastern) Early Childhood EE Programs: Guidelines for Excellence

40. Get Involved:Community EE Guidelines For more information: Akiima Price akiima@apriceconsulting.com

41. Questions?

42. Join us at the NAAEE Conference