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Core Concepts
Field Investigations Guide
K-12 Scope & Sequence
Stewardship Best Practices
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CE Strategy Committees
Working Group
Judy Silverberg, NH
K-12
Judy Silverberg
Outdoor Skills
Jeff Rawlinson, NE
Children In Nature
Kellie Tharp, AZ
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We want this to reach anyone who may be interested in learning more about AFWA's CE Strategy. Please forward this to colleagues or listservs whose participants may be interested.
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No Child Left Inside and Environmental Literacy Plans
No Child Left Inside (NCLI) has been added to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the first time environmental literacy has been included in the U.S. Department of Education budget (see article below). This issue of CE Strategy News focuses on environmental literacy plans (ELPs), part of NCLI/ESEA. This legislation calls for natural resources agencies to work with state departments of education and other stakeholders to develop environmental literacy plans. As the fish and wildlife content experts, we are an integral part of the process and need to be at the table as ELPs are developed.
Several Conservation Education Strategy resources will help you represent fish and wildlife interests in your state's environmental literacy plan (ELP).
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The K-12 Conservation Education Scope and Sequence outlines content standards and performance expectations for what students should know and be able to do related to fish and wildlife in grade bands K-5, 6-8, and 9-12-a perfect resource for ELPs.
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Field Investigations: Using Outdoor Environments of Foster Student Learning of Scientific Processes teaches the scientific process as used by fish and wildlife agency researchers every day.
In addition to these resources, the Strategy is developing a conservation knowledge, stewardship and outdoor skills benchmarks document that will be available later this year.
Remember: "Conservation Education = Conservation."
Judy Silverberg
Chair, AFWA CE Strategy Working Group
603.271.1737
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No Child Left Inside (NCLI) Added to Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
The No Child Left Inside Act is one of four key pieces of legislation in the reauthorization of ESEA. It is listed on the Ed & Labor Committee Web Site. Environmental literacy is included in "A Complete Education" portion of the Blueprint for Reform. If approved, the act will
- include funding to train teachers to deliver high quality Environmental Education and to use the local environment for teaching,
- integrate environmental education across core subject areas,
- provide incentives for states to develop State Environmental Literacy Plans
Including fish and wildlife content, standards and benchmarks, as well as professional development in teaching in these areas will help integrate conservation into mainstream K-12 education.
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Environmental Literacy Plans - Two State Experiences
AK: Kristen Romanoff, AK Dept. of Fish and Wildlife reports that Alaska Natural Resource and Outdoor Education ( ANROE) serves as the umbrella organization for Alaska's ELP development process, with Division of Wildlife providing project coordination. A core working group includes the ANROE board president, environmental educators, formal education teachers, a school superintendent, a liaison form the Department of Education and Early Development, UAF Alaska Native Knowledge Network staff, and staff from state and federal natural resource agencies. Representatives from five NCLI community coalitions serve on the working group or as advisors. The group has adopted a process and expect to have a plan completed by Spring 2011. Contact: Kristen Romanoff, Wildlife Education Specialist, Division of Wildlife.
MD: Development of Maryland's ELP started in April 2008, when the Governor signed an executive order directing the State Departments of Education and Natural Resources to develop an Environmental Literacy Plan. A 15 member partnership and 80 work group members drafted the plan, Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature , submitted in February 2009. The FY 2010 Work plan has been approved. Contact: Elena Takaki, MD DNR.
Lesson Learned
Elena offers these tips for developing an ELP:
- Meet with your state's EE or Science Coordinator immediately
- Form a committee or partnership early in the process
- Devise a method for everyone's voice to be heard on a regular basis: on-line forum, regional listening/input sessions, website to communicate progress
- Take advantage of the ability of non-profit organizations to lobby, gather large crowds, plan public events, and push you to reach further.
What to put in an ELP
- Specific content standards, content areas, and courses or subjects where instruction will take place.
- A description of how state high school graduation requirements will ensure that graduates are environmentally literate.
- A description of programs for professional development of teachers to improve their environmental/conservation content knowledge, skill in teaching about environmental/conservation issues, and field-based pedagogical skills.
- A description of how the state education agency will measure the environmental literacy of students.
- A description of how the state education will implement the plan, including funding and other necessary support.
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What's up with the Strategy
Save the Date - CE Strategy Training Course
Watch for announcement coming to your agency director
What - CE Strategy Training
When - October 25-29, 2010
Where - Mahoney State Park, near Omaha, NE
Who - Two education staff per state fish and wildlife agency, training, food and lodging provided by the CE Strategy multistate grant.
Research Project Underway
AFWA has contracted with Responsive Management to complete a comprehensive literature review and develop a White Paper providing
baseline data on conservation education and outdoor recreation participation in the U.S. The project will explore current conditions and historic trends in public knowledge of and behaviors regarding conservation education and outdoor recreation participation and identify long-term strategies for assessing the success of CE Strategy programs and efforts. The results will inform conservation education and outdoor recreation program planning throughout the U.S.
Conservation Benchmarks
Conservation educators from 10 states are meeting May 11-13 in Little Rock, AR to draft conservation education benchmarks. The team will be drafting K-12 benchmarks in three areas: conservation knowledge, stewardship, and outdoor participation. The resulting document will be available for agencies to use in partnership with formal education and schools, and as a tool for measuring effectiveness of agency conservation education and outdoor skills programs.
Survey Report Published
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Contacts