Policy & Issues
Importance
Public education about the environment, particularly primary and secondary school education, has many proven benefits. First, it increases awareness of the environment and the role of the environment in our everyday lives. Environmental education helps build “environmental literacy” among the public who will then be more likely to take action to conserve and sustain forests and the environment. It also fosters innovation as an environmentally literate public learns to identify problems and conceive solutions to complex environmental challenges.
In addition to these broad public benefits, environmental education in primary and secondary schools, especially with an outdoor learning component, has shown to dramatically improve overall student performance, particularly in science and math, including test scores.
Unfortunately, funding for environmental education is at grave risk.
Project Learning Tree Policy
Project Learning Tree and the American Forest Foundation supports public policies that assist in increasing the awareness and understanding of the role forests and the environment play in our lives, and in building the skills and commitment needed to conserve and sustain them. We encourage, that in the making of public policies, consideration be given to the need for public education, particularly elementary and secondary education, as a key component of any effort to improve our environment or conserve our natural resources.
About the Funding
The primary federal public policy vehicle focused solely on environmental education has been the National Environmental Education Act of 1990, which technically expired in 1996. The primary source of federal funding resides in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Education. In addition, a number of federal programs and policies within various Departments recognize the value of education as a component of effective conservation programs.
Unfortunately, the most recent major education overhaul, the No Child Left Behind Act, which directed $24 billion to state education programs, did not emphasize environmental curriculum.
As a way to boost environmental literacy, states have been working on environmental literacy plans, which outline state strategies and funding needs for state based efforts.
Given the nation-wide trend of shrinking state governments, where much of the funding for education comes from, funding for education and particularly environmental education is at grave risk. Integration of environmental education as a component of successful conservation and environmental policy offers promise for continuing to raise environmental literacy of our children.
Policy Recommendations
We can increase our children’s exposure to environmental education.
Pass the No Child Left Inside Act
The No Child Left Inside Act (link to internal legislation page) was introduced by Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Congressman John Sarbanes of Maryland to include environmental education as part of a new Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Their legislation provides funding for environmental education programs and teacher professional development in states with K-12 environmental literacy plans. It does not add any new mandates or testing requirements.
Appropriation Increases for Environmental Education
Funding for environmental education is severely low, despite the clear public and individual benefits it provides. We support significant increases in appropriations for environmental education including through the National Environmental Education Act and the authorizations in the No Child Left Inside Act, and other federal environmental and conservation programs.
Research, Fund and Promote Outdoor Learning Programs
Knowledge is power. That’s why we’re encouraging the Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences to promote research and evaluation of environmental education and outdoor learning. In addition, through the Fund for the Improvement of Education, the DoE must emphasize programs for outdoor learning and other environmental education curriculum in an effort to promote achievement in science and mathematics.
Resources
Public Policy Issue Brief – Environmental Education: Key to Sustaining Forests, the Environment, and Student Performance
