This winter and spring, California experienced record snowpack and rains, alleviating the most severe signs of drought in many parts of the state. However, even as California’s famed flower blooms return, the state’s reservoirs remain depleted, and water shortages are expected to continue. As California looks for better water management solutions, we see an opportunity … READ MORE
Global education and environmental literacy go hand-in-hand when helping students connect with the world around them. As the executive director of the California Global Education Project (CGEP), Dr. Emily Schell works every day to help teachers deliver timely and impactful lessons as they relate to the current issues affecting our world. In this Q&A, Dr. Schell shares how global education and environmental literacy work together, why there’s a need to support teachers in this work, and how she applies this expertise as a co-chair of CAELI’s leadership council.
In this Q&A, three environmental education leaders share how critical environmental educational experiences are to connecting youth with the natural world, and building the critical skills in science, leadership and community that students will need in a changing future.
Parent Michele Whiteaker reflects on the importance of ecoliteracy as part of her son’s K-12 education. She explains how outdoor experiences can be integrated into every subject of every grade, with students exploring and problem-solving along the way, so that environmental literacy can impact students in a lasting way.
The students, once again, have the answer: our charge is to hear them, and join in the work of enacting the solutions. Please take a moment and listen to their voices.
As Erika Remedios explains in this essay, teaching science can be so much more than reading a textbook. Students derive more meaning from hands-on activities in nature because they bring concepts to life, making them easier to understand and less distant. What Remedios calls “transactions with nature” are ways to promote collaboration and inspire engagement from students who may otherwise have problems in a traditional classroom setting.
Dr. Faris Sabbah reflects on his participation in a panel discussion about implementing environmental literacy programs across four California counties. By engaging stakeholders to compare strategies, they can learn from and incorporate each other’s approaches to support students’ environmental learning. Continue reading to learn more about Santa Cruz County’s commitment to equity, San Mateo’s environmental youth leadership network, San Joaquin’s watershed and environmental stewardship, and Orange County’s Inside the Outdoors program!
Rebecca Fox is a science teacher who wanted to improve her school’s curriculum to meet new content standards for K-12 science classes. But when the new standards were implemented, she found that students weren’t engaged in two fundamental approaches: scientific inquiry or the experimental process. Her passion for experiential learning drove her to find something new. Continue reading to learn how she utilized field trips and projects to get her students involved in their community.
Subscribe to receive updates and stories about our work and learn about opportunities to get involved.