Educational Leadership - October 2017

students from 14 schools led presentations and workshops for more than

200 community members.

We often forget that the most pow-
erful lever for youth and teachers to
become their best selves is public affir-
mation and a powerful sense of
belonging to a community. When 4th
grade students can collaborate with
high school students to use math and
science knowledge to benefit the entire
region and young children can do
more significant environmental resto-
ration work than many adult groups,
we create a new standard and expec-
tation for what is possible. Students
also feel that they have a place at the
table as full members of society. As
one 7th grade student remarked at a
recent community forum, “I like it that
when we work with adults, it’s not
only the adults that make the noise, it’s
the students.” EL

1The SEMIS Coalition is a regional hub of the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative ( www.glstewardship.org).

2The video can be found on the SEMIS Coalition website at http://semiscoalition. org/press.

References

Chawla, L., & Escalante, M. (2007).

Student gains from place-based education, Fact Sheet #2, November 2007. Children, Youth and Environments Center for Research and Design. Retrieved from www.peecworks.org/PEEC/FV4-

0001B456/S0179ABB8-0179ABC1

Rote, S., Schroder, B., & d’Augustino, T. (2015). Place-based education: Engagement from the student perspective.

Retrieved from www.miseagrant
. umich.edu/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/
files/2012/05/15-206-Place-Based-
Education-Report.pdf
Sobel, D. (1999). Beyond ecophobia:
Reclaiming the heart in nature education.
Great Barrington, MA: Orion Society.

U.S. Census. (2016). QuickFacts. Retrieved from www.census.gov/quickfacts

Ethan Lowenstein (ethan.lowenstein@ emich.edu) is a professor of curriculum and instruction at Eastern Michigan University and the director of the Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition. Follow him on Twitter @lowensteinethan. Gregory Smith ( gasmith@lclark.edu) is a professor emeritus of education at the Lewis & Clark College Graduate School of Education and Counseling in Portland, Oregon.

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