Work Group Reports

Critical Issues Menu

Curriculum

ISSUE A: Environmental terms and curricula are not clearly defined and standardized.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Develop a methodology to achieve and use nationally standardized environmental definitions (e.g., environment, ecology, ecosystem, etc.) and curricula (e.g., wildlife management, resource conservation, pollution prevention, water quality, air quality, population control, waste management, etc.) appropriate to each grade level. Ensure that business/industry, government, and community entities have input, as well as academia.

ISSUE B: There is a lack of funding for environmental curriculum.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Propose that an environmental curriculum, applicable to the appropriate grade level, be added to the institution's budget as soon as possible, and plan accordingly.
• Develop a fundraising plan to involve local businesses and government agencies.

ISSUE C: Faculty/staff lack time to plan for and implement interdisciplinary and multi-grade coordination of environmental curriculum.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Propose that funding for interdisciplinary integration of environmental curriculum be added to the institution's budget as soon as possible, and plan accordingly.
• Establish interdisciplinary team teaching projects.

ISSUE D: Environmental curriculum does not always deal with environmental equity issues.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Educate faculty to incorporate environmental equity issues into environmental curriculum.

ISSUE E: There is a lack of information about real world environmental careers in environmental curriculum.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Incorporate practical applications of skills into environmental curriculum.
• Introduce students to non-traditional, experiential learning (e.g., field trips, job shadowing, career fairs, neighborhood/national surveys, media role models, etc.).

ISSUE F: Educational institutions and the community need to share information more often.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Incorporate community projects as learning activities within the environmental curriculum.
• Inform the community as to what environmental education exists, and the current and future benefits to be derived from that education.
• Form a partnership with business, government (such as the local job service office), and educational institutions to assess the needs of the community for environmental jobs and to provide potential workers with the capabilities fulfill those needs.

Employment Opportunities/Career Awareness

ISSUE G: Students are unaware of, or have a negative perception of, careers in the environmental field. This may be due to a variety of factors, including: a) fear of the perceived difficulty of math, science, and technology (e.g., environmental studies); b) unclear definitions of types of environmental workers (i.e., scientist, technician, and technologist) and jobs; c) lack of exposure to environmental worker role models (in the family and the community); and d) lack of applicable reference material and guidance.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Integrate math and science skills into other disciplines whenever possible.
• Develop and use math and science learning activities that are fun and relevant to the students.
• Use career fairs to disseminate definitions of environmental work, and to ensure that students recognize that a career can result from their environmental education.
• Introduce students to non-traditional, experiential learning (e.g., field trips, job shadowing, neighborhood surveys, media role models, etc.).
• Encourage guidance counselors and faculty to learn more about environmental careers, and to stay up-to-date in this area.
• Keep reference materials on environmental careers in a centralized location (e.g., guidance counseling office, library, etc.).
• Disseminate above information to parents and encourage parents to become involved in the students' career exploration.

ISSUE H: People in the community sometimes have a negative perception of the environmental field. This may be due to a variety of factors, including: a) a lack of trust in, and/or feelings of being manipulated/exploited by, government agencies (e.g., EPA); b) apathy about environmental concerns; c) the perception that business, industry, and/or government are hypocritical about environmental concerns; d) a lack of active participation in environmental concerns; and e) fear of a perceived health hazard in the environmental field.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Initiate community environmental forums, to include citizens, government, business, and education. Make sure to get the media involved whenever possible.
• Form community environmental decisionmaking partnerships with leaders of community, business, government, and education.
• Promote local hiring for environmental jobs.
• Initiate community training concerning OSHA's "Right-to-Know" regulations.

ISSUE I: Environmental careers are often perceived as low paying, unglamorous, and unimportant.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Provide environmental career information resources to students through career fairs, guest speakers, and field trips.

ISSUE J: There is little concerted effort to introduce quality education, or to improve the quality of existing education, in environmental areas. This may be due to a variety of factors, including: a) inadequate funding; b) poor curriculum relating the environmental field to math, science, and technology skills; c) lack of rural exposure to environmental issues; d) lack of appropriate mentors; and e) a tendency to stereotype (on the basis of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, etc.) who is capable of entering the field.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Integrate appropriate math, science, and technology skills into environmental curriculum. Make sure the student understands the correlation between these skills and their practical job applications.
• Introduce students to field learning (e.g., job shadowing, internships, field trips, etc.) as well as classroom learning.
• Ensure that all learning activities (such as textbooks, guest speakers, field trips, internships, etc.) promote non-stereotypical workers in the environmental field. Guidance counselors and faculty must actively promote the consideration of all types of career choices by all types of students.

Environmental Equity

ISSUE K: Schools must be aware of their potential to positively impact environmental equity through education and awareness training and community activities.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Recognize the importance of education to the issue of environmental equity, and introduce and/or improve basic environmental curriculum in their programs.
• Recognize that environmental equity can only be achieved through the teamwork of all aspects of a community (e.g., education, business/industry, government, and especially individual community members).
• Provide a forum (e.g., workshops, guest speakers, public meetings, etc.) to promote awareness of and education on local environmental equity issues, to parents and community members as well as students and instructors.
• Provide a way, through local/regional teacher-sharing programs, to disseminate environmental equity information; particularly in larger cities with diverse populations.
• Promote environmental career awareness for economically disadvantaged areas.
• Ensure that adequate resources of basic materials/supplies are available for environmental education, especially in schools located in economically disadvantaged communities.
• Provide information on specific topics (e.g., health hazards, air/water quality, etc.) that concern local communities.

The U.S. educational system should:

• Ensure that the same quality education is provided throughout the nation.

ISSUE L: Community groups and members must be made aware of their potential to positively impact environmental equity through community environmental awareness and activities.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Focus environmental curriculum in the schools on applicable local community concerns (e.g., air/water pollution, landfills, wildlife management, etc.) and cultural variables, making sure to involve the community in these decisions (e.g., through an advisory board).
• Apprise community leaders and members of the advantages in community environmental education and cooperation on environmental issues.
• Encourage community organizations to partner with educators and business/industry leaders for local job internship, training, and hiring programs.
• Encourage community organizations to sponsor environmental activities for local problem areas (to promote pride in the community).

ISSUE M: Business and industry must be made aware of their potential to positively impact environmental equity through community environmental awareness and activities.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Focus environmental curriculum in the schools on applicable local industries (e.g., farming, fishing, hazardous materials handling, mining, remediation, etc.), making sure to involve business and industry in these decisions (e.g., through an advisory board).
• Apprise business/industry of the advantages in community environmental education and cooperation on environmental issues.
• Encourage business/industry to partner with educators and community leaders for local job internship, training, hiring programs, and adopt-a-school programs.
• Encourage business/industry to sponsor environmental activities for local problem areas.

ISSUE N: Local government must be reminded of their responsibility to positively impact environmental equity through community environmental education, awareness, and regulation.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Ensure that environmental curriculum in the schools deals with applicable local governmental issues (e.g., EPA air/water quality levels, landfill regulations, etc.) and cultural variables, making sure to involve the government in these decisions (e.g., through an advisory board).
• Apprise local government of the advantages in community environmental education and cooperation on environmental issues.
• Encourage local government to partner with educators, business/industry, and community leaders for local job internship, training, and hiring programs.
• Encourage local government to sponsor environmental activities for local problem areas (to promote pride in the community).
• Ensure that local government fulfills responsibility to ensure that all community neighborhoods receive equal civil services (e.g., recycling programs, garbage collection, water rights, emergency response protection, etc.)
• Ensure that local government is coordinating with and receiving cooperation from state and national governments on environmental programs.

ISSUE O: Individuals must be made aware of their potential to positively impact environmental equity through environmental awareness and activities.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Ensure that education is available for community members to learn about the individual's impact on the environment and daily activities that can make a difference (recycling, home/yard/neighborhood cleanup, etc.).

Professional Development

ISSUE P: Funding is insufficient funding for faculty and student professional development.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Propose that a specific item for professional development be added to the institution's budget as soon as possible, and plan accordingly.
• Allow for more budget flexibility, to allow instructors to take advantage of development opportunities as they arise.
• Explore the possibility of various grant funding for professional development.
• Allow for instructor/departmental input on budgetary allocations for professional development.
• Make the application process for professional development funding more efficient.

ISSUE Q: Insufficient time is allotted for professional development.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Consider faculty time needs when making funding allocations for professional development.

ISSUE R: There are insufficient resources/materials for student professional develpment.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Allocate funding and time for student professional development activities, such as field trips, site visits, guest speakers, etc.
• Solicit assistance for student professional development from community resources, such as public works departments, mayor's office, local EPA, etc.
• Include environmental curriculum materials (e.g., textbooks, videos, handouts, Internet access, journal subscriptions, science experiment supplies, etc.) in school budgets.
• Establish resource material centers for faculty and students in the environmental field.

ISSUE S: Environmental education needs more support from and involvement with school administration, community, business/industry, and parents.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

Note: See similar issue in Curriculum topic above (Issues A to F).

ISSUE T: There is insufficient communication and sharing of knowledge between instructors at the same school and at different schools.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Schools should form environmental program partnerships with other schools in order to maximize available knowledge and resources.
• Institute school district and a national forums of environmental educators for the purpose of sharing ideas and resources.
• Facilitate teacher sharing programs to enhance the professional development of both students and faculty through through the dissemination of knowledge and teaching skills.

ISSUE U: Educators' (administration and faculty) attitudes need to become more flexible in order to deliver more creative and efficient environmental education.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Faculty need to be willing to participate in professional development activities in order to keep up with new developments in their field and related fields, and incorporate this learning in their curriculum.
• All faculty require additional training in instructional techniques in order to facilitate integration of environmental education into other disciplines.
• Administration needs to improve administrative procedures and promote faculty development to avoid low teacher morale and apathy.
• Schools need to develop more team-building skills for administrators and faculty in order to most efficiently deliver integrated environmental education (e.g., TQM, team teaching, etc.).
• An incentive program would promote professional development.

ISSUE V: Content-specific professional development isn't encouraged as often as generic professional development.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Faculty should have input into the in-service training content and schedule.
• Programs should be developed for faculty/student internships, faculty memberships in professional field organizations, student job-shadowing, school-to-career partnerships, etc.

Transferability

ISSUE W: There needs to be a more widespread environmental literacy in the country.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Develop competency-based standards for environmental curriculum appropriate to elementary, middle, and high school grade levels. Ensure that business/industry, government, and community entities have input, as well as academia.
• Coordinate with postsecondary educational institutions to ensure that secondary school graduation requirements meet the articulation standards of colleges/universities/technical schools.
• Work with state and national educational organizations to ensure nationwide standards are instituted.
• Develop hands-on and practical application environmental learning activities appropriate to elementary, middle, and high school grade levels.
• Develop a system of regular communication with other schools in order to ensure consistency of education.

ISSUE X: Students, their families, and all community members need to be aware of, involved in, and committed to environmental concerns in order to impress upon students that education in environmental issues is important throughout life.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Provide education on environmental issues to students, parents, and all community members.

ISSUE Y: There is a lack of commitment and funding for teachers' professional development in environmental education.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

K - 12 educational institutions should:

• Budget and plan specifically for faculty professional development in environmental education.
• Require additional training of faculty in instructional techniques in order to facilitate transferability of environmental education between grade levels.

ISSUE Z: There is a lack of commitment to introducing environmental education programs in schools, to promoting integration of existing environmental curriculum integration in other disciplines, and to ensuring that competency-based environmental curriculum is established at each grade level.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Note: See recommendations for similar issue in Curriculum topic above (beginning with Issue A).

Return to Introductory Menu.