Educational Leadership - December 2009/January 2010

existing teacher-training programs, of course, but in these challenging economic times, teachers can tap other resources. For example, many wildlife refuges provide professional development programs that have been correlated to public school curriculum standards (see www.fws.gov/refuges). Robert Batemen, the Canadian wildlife artist whose Get-to-Know campaign strives to connect children to nature, suggests an informal teacher-to-teacher approach: Teacher Nature Clubs, through which teachers who are experienced in nature organize half-day hikes each month with other teachers, lending insight and enthusiasm to those with less experience in the natural world.

Bring Nature to the Classroom Start a Salmon in the Classroom project or a similar endeavor. In Washington State, participating students in more than 600 schools receive 500 hatchery eggs to care for in each classroom (see http://wdfw.wa.gov/outreach /education/ salclass.htm). Students learn about life histories and habitat requirements and release the salmon into the streams they have studied.

Green the Schoolyards Tap the knowledge of such programs as Eco-Schools in Europe ( www.eco-schools.org); Evergreen in Canada (www.ever green.ca/en); and the Natural Learning Initiative ( www.naturalearning.org) in the United States. Educators can find a list of schoolyard greening organizations worldwide, including ones in Canada, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, at www.eco schools.com. To get started, send for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide (available at www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/schoolyd .htm), which can help teachers and students create wildlife habitats on school grounds.

Place-Based Education ( www.antiochne .edu/anei), which promotes community-based education programs and partnerships among students, teachers, and community members that support student achievement, community vitality, and a healthy environment.

Create Nature-Based
Community Classrooms

Beyond the classroom and school grounds, schools, businesses, and outdoor organizations can work together to introduce students to nature centers and parks and sponsor or promote overnight camping trips. School districts can follow Norway’s lead and establish farms and ranches as “the new schoolyards,” thereby creating a new source of income to encourage a farming culture.

As an added incentive, an outdoor classroom is much less expensive to build than a new brick-and-mortar one.

Create Nature Preschools Ensure that children begin their school years knowing the physical world firsthand. Encourage nature-based public, charter, or independent K– 12 schools that place community and nature experience—not only environmental education—at the center of the curriculum. Resources include Antioch’s Center for

Establish an Eco Club Crenshaw High School Eco Club is among the most popular clubs in this predominately black high school in Los Angeles. Students are introduced to the natural environment through the club’s weekend day hikes and camping trips in nearby mountains, as well as through expeditions to Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks. Community service projects include coastal cleanups, nonnative invasive plant removal, and hiking trail maintenance. Past members become mentors for current students. The grades of participating students have improved.

What Parents and
the Community Can Do

Last year, in Austin, Texas, I was speaking with a middle school principal who was sympathetic to the cause but felt overwhelmed by all the demands that he and his colleagues already faced. “You want me to add this to my plate when it’s already overflowing?” he asked. “I can’t do this without outside help.”

He was right. Naturalizing education will be an enormous task, and educators can’t do it alone. Families and the whole community can help by doing some of the following.