Environmental Education Gets a Boost!
Environmental education is finally getting the attention it deserves – from Members of Congress at the federal level, to State Boards of Education at the local level.
The No Child Left Inside Act was introduced today in the U.S. House and Senate. This bi-partisan bill sponsored by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), and Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD), among others, helps states boost environmental literacy. Read our press release.
Also today, an article in the Washington Post highlighted how teachers in Maryland are gearing up for their new environmental literacy standard, passed by the Maryland State Board of Education on June 21.
While Maryland is the first state in the nation to require that students be environmentally literate to graduate high school, many other states are pursuing similar efforts. Many of our Project Learning Tree State Coordinators are involved in these efforts, and just this morning, for example, PLT staff member Al Stenstrup participated in another meeting of the DC Environmental Education Consortium to chart an environmental literacy plan for the nation’s capital.
While these efforts at the state and local level are happening independently of the No Child Left Inside Act, both movements are intertwined and the result of growing support across the nation to make sure our next generation is adequately prepared for the future they will inherit.
If NCLI is authorized and funded, states with environmental literacy plans would be eligible to apply for grants for implementation These plans, approved by the Secretary of Education, for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 include environmental education standards and teacher training.
How does environmental education benefit our children and our nation? And, as Congress debates some tough choices, why now?
More and more, lawmakers are hearing from advocates, not least of which are teachers and students themselves, many in the Project Learning Tree network, about the urgent need for environmental education in our schools.
To name a few reasons, environmental education:
- Improves student achievement, especially in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects that the U.S. lags behind other nations
- Prepares youth for the green jobs and clean energy careers of the future
- Grows stewardship of our already strained natural resources
- Sustains and protects our environment upon which we depend for our health and well-being
- Supports outdoor recreation and an appreciation for nature
- Gets children outside and active, engaged in learning!
Sadly, it’s not all good news. On Tuesday, the House Interior Appropriations Committee cut funding for the National Environmental Education Act (NEEA).
While we recognize tough budget choices need to be made, let’s continue to show the impact of our work. From healthier students, to healthier schools, to healthier environments, let’s strive to make environmental education in our schools a reality for all!
Get more environmental education news and classroom activities on Project Learning Tree's Facebook page.
Photo credit Flickr's whirledkid
