Chapter 5
And Beyond: Improving and Enhancing
Sustainability Education

This chapter explores the following four areas that together form the foundation for education for sustainability.

• Partnerships. Local, state, and federal governments; parents, teachers, and schools; environmental organizations; and business associations should form partnerships to coordinate educational programs focusing on sustainable development. Such coordination should reduce duplication of efforts, increase availability of resources, and enhance stakeholders Õ knowledge and ability to make the decisions that will help their communities thrive.

• Technology. Sustainability requires that learners of all ages be prepared for today's ever-changing, increasingly technological society. Computer-based instruction and hands-on experience can foster achievement in technological disciplines and increase employment opportunities. The use of information technologies in and out of the classroom must be expanded and equitable access to technology must be ensured.

• Global understanding. Educating for sustainability requires that learners have an understanding and appreciation of the international forces that affect their lives. Environmental problems such as air pollution and pollution of the oceans are global in scale, since ecosystems and ecological processes do not adhere to human-made boundaries. At the same time, economic and social forces are becoming increasingly globalized. For these reasons, achieving sustainability will require cooperation on an international scale. If todayÕs students are to be ready to make tomorrowÕs decisions, they must understand the links not only among various subject areas but especially between local and global conditions.

• Multicultural awareness. Individuals from diverse backgrounds must have equal access to education for sustainability. Equally as important, their voices must be heard and their input included in the educational process. As the demographics of America's schools and communities change, it is essential that students learn to function in a multicultural society by understanding issues from various perspectives, resolving conflict creatively, and synthesizing new ideas from diverse points of view.

The third policy recommendation of the Public Linkage, Dialogue, and Education Task Force relates to these crosscutting policy, infrastructure, and social needs.

POLICY RECOMMENDATION 3

• form federal, state, and local partnerships;
• establish and expand access to information and communication networks;
• foster an understanding of the global forces that affect the transition to a sustainable society, and
• integrate multicultural perspectives.

The need for each of these actions is explored in the remainder of this chapter through highlighted Task Force activities and models of successful programs.

Forming Partnerships

Partnerships among government; businesses; individuals; communities; and religious, labor, environmental, and other stakeholder groups can serve to create common ground among diverse views, reduce conflict and suspicion, and encourage collaborative and consensus-based decisions. Partnerships do this by expanding available resources and creating win-win solutions. Also, partnerships ensure that programs of excellence are developed and continued in communities throughout the country. Through partnerships, schools and communities can create high-performance learning environments, both in the classroom and outside, by incorporating information technologies and developing community-based communications programs on sustainable development. This is the context within which a learning system for both young and old can be created that helps people learn how to think, be empowered, fulfill an interest in learning, and initiate a lifelong motivation for learning.

Leveraging limited federal resources to spur private sector initiatives directed at educational and national needs should be a high priority. Another priority should be to encourage agencies to make partnership opportunities related to sustainability and education for sustainability central to their missions. This would coordinate resources and avoid overlap and duplication. A collaborative effort should also be initiated to develop models that could be used by states to strengthen their education for sustainability programs in a comprehensive way Ñ through legislation, statewide coordination, funding, curriculum guidelines, and professional development. Those states that have not yet formed advisory councils could be encouraged to do so; and the councils could participate with the working group in setting priorities and ensuring accurate communication, coordination, and accountability. Each state advisory council should link existing networks of public and private entities within the state to form a consortium that would integrate research, education, and extension functions.

Partnerships enable the public and private sectors to share ideas, build consensus, leverage scarce financial resources, engage a greater diversity of participants, and foster innovation. Education can be a link that draws people and organizations into partnerships, and education will benefit from the resulting exchange of experiences.

Successful sustainability partnerships are evident at the highest levels of government, as these examples show.

• The Administration's Sustainability Agenda. Throughout his presidency, Bill Clinton has emphasized a "sustainability agenda," stressing the need for education reform, job creation, workforce training, economic competitiveness, and environmental protection. With these issues as national priorities, the Clinton Administration has created a variety of initiatives that embody the spirit of partnership and stress the importance of a sustainable future. The President's Council on Sustainable Development is one example of diverse stakeholders coming together to develop a consensus on how best to meet national goals involving environmental protection, economic progress, and social harmony.

• The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). President Clinton created this cabinet-level Council, under the umbrella of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to coordinate science, space, and technology policies across the federal government. The NSTC also establishes clear national goals for federal science and technology investments. Bridge to a Sustainable Future (April 1995) was the NSTC's response to the mandate for a long term national strategy and goals for the advancement of environmental technologies. The President's charge: "... spur the development of a new generation of technologies that prevent pollution, promote the development and use of technologies to monitor the environment, clean up existing pollution, and encourage the application of environmental technologies throughout the world." The strategy emphasizes the importance of integrating information about sustainability and emerging technologies into interdisciplinary education and training. The strategy stresses the need to forge partnerships to establish links between curricula and the experiential and other knowledge students need in order to effectively participate in the workforce of the 21st century.

• Meeting Manufacturing Challenges: Environmental Systems Engineering Education. Coupling environmental considerations with systems engineering approaches offers a powerful mechanism for industry to develop sustainable manufacturing processes and to design environmentally preferable technologies and products. Within the manufacturing sector, there is a growing demand for a new generation of engineers who can apply environmental systems engineering, with a view toward total life-cycle, to their work. At the present time, there is a dearth of engineers who can meet this need. In response, the TI Group and one of its U.S. subsidiaries -- John Crane International, Inc. -- have been working closely with the U.S. EPA and GW University to champion the formation of a National Alliance for Environmental Systems Engineering Education. (The TI Group, recognized world leaders in specialized engineering and manufacturing, is a conglomerate of more than 125 companies with 350 plants and customer service facilities in 115 countries on five continents.) The Alliance's industry partners were linked in 1995 to an academic forum comprised of diverse community colleges and universities. At the core of the academic forum's current and planned activities is the development of new, interdisciplinary environmental systems engineering curricula for sustainability -- strengthened by partnerships for research, outreach, and innovative education and training activities. The Alliance also intends to advance essential pollution prevention knowledge, community-level sustainability action, and achievement in the development, commercialization, and transfer of advanced environmental technologies.

• Other Federal Partnerships. At the federal level, a variety of partnership opportunities to promote and enhance education for sustainability options are currently being explored. A Working Group on Education About Sustainability under the National Science and Technology Council was recently created. The group's mission is to coordinate federal policies and programs supporting education for sustainability. It will also facilitate partnerships with state efforts and those of governmental organizations, businesses, professional societies, educational institutions, and community organizations.

• Environmental Education in the School System. Many states are integrating environmental education programs and curricula into their school systems. By 1993, a total of 33 states had established formal guidelines for environmental education.¹ Today, 19 states have enacted legislation that mandates environmental education.² Five states -- Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Hawaii -- are working with the National Environmental Education Advancement Project to develop comprehensive plans to strengthen their environmental education programs. This project provides (1) matching grants from EPA to the five pilot states and (2) support services such as newsletters and workshops on successful efforts in other states. Organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation and the North American Association for Environmental Education have provided financial assistance for this effort. The project is an example of how educational institutions and nonprofit organizations are working together to assist state governments in developing statewide environmental education programs.

• U.S. Global Change Research Program. This public-private partnership and education initiative is designed to develop national literacy and teaching capability in sustainability education through improved science information concerning global change issues. The initiative involves formal and nonformal educators and community leaders through statewide, systemic approaches ultimately contributing to the development of knowledgeable constituencies. Results of research in science and social science are communicated through integration in statewide core curricula; professional and association meetings at regional and national levels; and programs conducted in museums, science centers, and community groups. Organized in state teams, professional educators partner with non-governmental organizations, state government officials, businesses, and educators to design and implement state action plans. The five-member state teams gathered at a national global change education conference in Washington, D.C., in 1994, at seven regional conferences throughout the country in 1995, and at state-level planning and organizing meetings in 1996.

  The National Science Foundation offered planning grants to seven states in 1995 (Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, and Utah); and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration supported 19 states with implementation grants for statewide action plans (Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Wyoming).

• Influence of Agenda 21. Spurred by the National Earth Summit, the governor of Kentucky invited representatives from all states to a conference, From Rio to the Capitols, in May 1993 to discuss how states can help the nation meet guidelines set by Agenda 21. Subsequently, many states, including Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin, began to develop statewide strategic plans for sustainable development.³

State efforts have spurred community projects, workshops, and councils on sustainability.

• Local Partnerships. Kentucky and Minnesota are just a few of the states in the country that have initiated partnership programs among state agencies, community and environmental groups, businesses, and the public to develop state sustainability plans. Both states noted that while top-down support is crucial, so too is widespread involvement from interest groups, the public, and other stakeholders in the process.⁴

Expanding Information Networks

Technologies such as the Internet, World Wide Web (WWW), and interactive CD-ROMs can advance education for sustainability by linking educators, policy makers, students, and parents nationally and internationally. Incorporating these technologies in educational contexts and improving computer-based instruction and the infrastructure for hands-on computer experience is becoming increasingly important. However, the U.S. Department of Education notes that application of information technologies in the classroom varies among locales. One explanation, cited in a recent Office of Technology Assessment report, is a lack of telephone lines in classrooms; this effectively bars student participation in electronic communications networks.⁶ Another barrier is the speed at which technology is changing: Many schools simply cannot afford to keep upgrading their equipment every few years. Also, even if technology is available in a school, educators frequently are not properly trained in its use, and therefore do not know how to incorporate it into their teaching.

These caveats aside, the proliferation and use of information and communications technology are rapidly increasing:

• By 1994, nearly 65 percent of all schools, and 77 percent of all high schools, had modems and access to telephone lines.⁷

• Ten years ago, schools had one computer for every 125 children; that ratio is now one computer for every 12 children.⁸

• The Internet today reaches approximately 40 million people in about 168 countries; use is rapidly increasing. China went from two Internet sites in 1994 to 593 in 1995; Argentina increased from one to 1,415; and Japan rose from 38,267 to 99,034.⁹

Technology is rapidly becoming an invaluable tool for supplying equitable access to information about new programs, resources, and materials related to education for sustainability. In its final report, the President's Council on Sustainable Development called for the development of the National Information Infrastructure (NII) by the private sector to increase access to public information and improve access for all. NII, or "Information Superhighway," will be a seamless web of communications networks, computers, databases, and consumer electronics putting vast amounts of information at users' fingertips. Its continued development will ensure that the best schools, teachers, and courses will be available to all students, regardless of geography, resources, or limitations.

NII's infrastructure must include excellent organization of information. Existing clearinghouses, such as EE Link, the Educational Resources Information Clearinghouse (ERIC), and others relating to sustainable development, can collaborate to offer central gateway points of access on the World Wide Web (WWW). The EPA's Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP), led by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), is working to create a coordinated system for information networks. Educators at all levels need to access models of successful education for sustainability programs that can be emulated or adapted for use in their classrooms. A WWW home page, a starting point for receiving information about a particular organization or topic, sponsored by the National Science and Technology Council's Joint Working Group on Education could supply information about models of sustainability in action, as well as about the activities of federal agencies, grant programs, and government-supported projects in the private sector.

Finally, educational programs should be encouraged to incorporate data from environmental monitoring tools such as geographic information systems. Teachers and students should be aware of databases maintained by international, national, and state governments as well as by private organizations. Courses should familiarize students with the availability of different types of databases, how they are accessed, and how they can be used to monitor environmental change and guide decisions about resource use and protection of the environment.

Following are some examples of how new technologies and clearinghouse capabilities are being applied today by government and the private sector in furthering sustainable development education.

• CD-ROMs and Satellite Images. The Island Institute in Rockland, Maine, supplies students in 150 classrooms with innovative environmental education software and satellite imagery of the students' school and town. One class, when studying satellite images of its town, discovered that a proposed site for a low-level nuclear waste dump from Maine's nuclear power plant was a wetlands habitat. After the students' results were confirmed by a hydrogeologist, the class presented its findings to the town planning board. The program material was made available under the direction of the Remote Sensing Facility at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences; sponsors include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Island Institute, and Apple Computer, Inc. It addresses classroom instruction in mathematics, physics, geology, ecology, oceanography, history, and geography.

• Distance Learning. Bell Atlantic Foundation is working with teachers to engage students in collaborative learning projects based on sustainable development issues in a new multimedia learning project co-sponsored by EARTHWATCH. Using electronic networks and the World Wide Web, EARTHWATCH on-line is able to support these teachers and their students throughout the school year. Apple Computers, Inc. provided laptops, digital cameras, and Newton personal data assistants for the project.

• Computer-based Learning for Sustainability: EPA's Multimedia Development Laboratory. Originally intended to address learning and training needs of the U.S. EPA's employees, the Multimedia Development Laboratory (MML) has since grown to provide computer-based learning products on diverse safety, health, environmental, and sustainability matters to over 2,600 organizations throughout the U.S. and abroad. Using state-of-the-art technologies, the MML produces and distributes learning, information, and performance support tools, including interactive CD-ROMs. These generic products enable individuals to have learning experiences and meet training objectives in a timely and cost-effective manner, without travel to off-site locations. EPA's return on its investment was about 50% during the first year of operation, and it is expected to return over 200% in the following six years; savings in excess of $2 million are currently estimated. The MML recently started work with the Urban Consortium's Environmental Task Force of Public Technology, Inc., to develop and deliver computer-based learning, information, and performance support products to local governments and communities to help them achieve their sustainability goals.

The growth of computer technology in the 20th century has been exponential. Everyday, more and more people gain access to information via the Internet. A survey conducted by Nielsen Media Research concluded that about 37 million people in the United States and Canada have Internet access: 24 million of those surveyed had "signed on" to the Internet in the last 90 days. As access to computers increases, more and more people will be able to use the Internet as an educational tool, enabling people to expand their global perspectives and understanding of different cultures, religions, regions, languages, and ideas. Networks that provide information or services related to sustainability are also expanding. For example:

• Global Action and Information Network (GAIN). GAIN provides "information for action." GAIN-Online provides current legislative information on almost every environmental issue, as well as background data and analyses, action alerts, organizational resources, and contact information for congressional members, cabinet officials, and federal agencies. It also is developing a computer program, Vision Into Action (VIA), that helps individuals, businesses, and communities determine the scope of their ecological impact. Once producers and consumers alike understand the impact of their actions, VIA assists them with adopting new practices by providing education and information about stainable lifestyles and communities.
  (http://www.igc.apc/gain)

• Government Information Locator Service. EPA has established a Government Information Locator Service for anyone who needs to locate, access, or acquire environmental information. The service lists more than 200 of the Agency's public information resources, describes the information in those resources, and provides assistance in obtaining the needed information.
  [http://www.epa.gov/gils]

• EE-Link. EE-Link is an on-line source of information about environmental education. It provides access to teaching resources on the Internet, including articles, databases, grant information, and instructional materials. EE-Link is administered through a partnership among EPA, the North American Association for Environmental Education, and the National Consortium for Environmental Education and Training.
  [http://www.nceet.snre.umich.edu/use.html]

• GREENWIRE. GREENWIRE, an on-line environmental news service, provides a daily briefing on environmental news. Editorial commentary comes from over 100 U.S. and international media sources. The GREENWIRE database provides 24-hour-a-day access to over 20,000 stories published in GREENWIRE since 1991.
  [http://www.apn.com]

• Global Network of Environment and Technology (GNET). GNET provides access to information on environmental products and services, marketing opportunities, contracts, U.S. government programs, policy and law, current industry news, and business assistance resources on the environment, technology, and commerce. It was designed to help the federal government track roundtables, agency initiatives, and other work products or dialogues initiated by the White House on environment, energy, and sustainability issues.
  [http://www.gxinet.com or http://www.gnet.org]

• National Library for the Environment. The Committee for the National Institute for the Environment has developed a National Library for the Environment. The library provides access to over 300 reports on various environmental issues, a user-friendly on-line encyclopedia of the environment, and detailed information at all technical levels on specific environmental subjects. Reports are reviewed, prepared, and checked for accuracy by the Congressional Research Service, a division of the Library of Congress.
  [http://www.cnie.org/nle]

• Educational Resources Information Center. ERIC is a national information system designed to provide users with ready access to an extensive body of literature on education and related issues. Established in 1966, ERIC is supported by the U.S. Department of Education. A number of subject-specific clearinghouses and services provide research summaries, bibliographies, reference and referral services, computer searches, and document reproduction.
  [http://www.aspen.sys.com/eric]

• National Environmental Information Resources Center (NEIRC). The NEIRC was designed to provide professionals, students, and the general public with "one-stop access" to diverse environmental, educational, and sustainability-related information maintained on the World Wide Web of the Internet. Established in 1995 as a public service by The George Washington University (GW) and the U.S. EPA, it provides direct linkages to more than 1,000 sites, globally. A number of the linked sites feature computer-based learning, information, and performance support modules; on-line tools for educators and researchers, and extensive search capabilities. NEIRC users can engage in discussions encompassing many different environmental and sustainability subjects through dedicated Usenet news groups. The NEIRC also serves as a repository of information developed by, and for, higher education and research institutions through GW's "Green University Initiative."
  [http://www.gwu.edu/~greenu/]

Computer technology is likely to change the course of our future. With the expansion of the Internet, societies all over the globe will one day be able to access the information they need to create sustainable living conditions. Educating via computer opens doors to information and teaches valuable skills.

Fostering Global Understanding

Educating for sustainability requires that learners have an understanding and appreciation of the international forces that affect their lives. Environmental problems such as air pollution and pollution of the oceans are global in scale since ecosystems and ecological processes do not adhere to human-made boundaries. At the same time, economic and social forces are becoming increasingly globalized. For these reasons, achieving sustainability will require cooperation on an international scale. If today's students are to be ready to make tomorrow's decisions, they must be able to understand the links not only among various subject areas but especially between local and global conditions.

Achieving sustainability on a global scale will take decades or perhaps centuries. Solutions to global problems will require long-term dialogue and education at regional and international levels. Meaningful discussions will bear fruit, however, only if they lead to appropriate actions and behavioral changes.

Students and youth groups must participate in the emerging global dialogue on sustainability. Information is becoming more accessible as communication methods become faster and more diverse. Additionally, new alliances centered around economic, political, and related issues are continually emerging and have a great influence on global progress toward sustainability. These factors are, in essence, "shrinking" the planet, making information and other resources more readily available. Students must know about these options and opportunities as they embark on a journey of discovery and understanding of global systems and what it means to be a responsible citizen of the global community.

Integrating Multicultural Perspectives

The goal of integrating multicultural perspectives in the public dialogue on sustainable development has several corollary issues, notably including the following.

• Bridging the demographic gap between an increasingly diverse student body and a more traditionally aligned teaching staff. The teacher population in the nation's classrooms is overwhelmingly female, white, and middle class.⁵ The students, however, are more racially diverse and come from nontraditional family structures; for many, English is not their primary language. Teachers need training to address this demographic gap. This training should focus on increasing the cross-cultural competencies of educators to integrate education for sustainability into culturally diverse settings.

• Ensuring that the relevance of the sustainability message is made clear to all component groups of this nation's multicultural population. A 1994 Roper survey commissioned by the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation focused on disadvantaged youth (defined as those from ZIP Codes where 30 percent or more of the population is at or below the poverty level). The responses indicated a serious gap in environmental education -- or, more likely, in what is being taught about the environment. Children most likely to be exposed to environmental risks ranked environmental problems as eighth on a list of 10 societal issues they would like to make better. Youth in general rated the environment as second.¹¹

  One reason for this discrepancy may be that environmental education as well as sustainable development education is either not taught in the target populations' schools or does not incorporate information about environmental issues that relate to students' everyday concerns. For example, urban youth may not see the importance of saving whales, something they have never seen before, as compared with the more pressing and immediate problems of violence and drugs in their own neighborhood. Urban youth may benefit more from learning about environmental justice issues, waste reduction and management, and how environmental hazards affect human health, as well as about preservation of natural resources. Regardless of the specific environmental issues taught, however, the overall programs need to be tailored to meet the needs of the specific constituencies they serve. Programs and curricula should be dynamic and able to adjust to changing community, national, and global circumstances. Linking environmental issues with everyday survival issues can expose disadvantaged students to knowledge that can help them take action and make changes and decisions that benefit themselves, their families, and their communities.

• Integrating the concept of environmental justice into sustainability education. Multicultural environmental education focuses on students in industrialized areas who are often disproportionately exposed to toxicants. Historically, the siting of industrial plants, waste incinerators, landfills, and sewage treatment plants in or near poor and minority communities has resulted in discriminatory exposure to pollution and hazardous wastes. In recent years, an explosion of interest in environmental issues among people of color has coalesced in the environmental justice movement, which links environmental issues with social justice movements, such as civil rights. The focus is on toxic waste dumps, poor air and water quality, and pesticides, and their impact on human health. The movement seeks environmental equity for all people, regardless of race, social class, ethnicity, gender, age, or disability. In addition to pointing out discriminatory siting practices, the movement has condemned the uneven enforcement of environmental laws and remediation efforts.

Some or all of the preceding ideas are being incorporated. Successful examples of ongoing initiatives to integrate multicultural perspectives into sustainability education follow.

• The Southern Center for Environmental Justice. Since it opened in 1992, the Southern Center for Environmental Justice has been inundated with requests for community assistance in responding to accidents, registering formal complaints, accessing information, and understanding technical documents related to the environment. The center's dual mission is to conduct research and policy studies and create partnerships among universities, grassroots organizations, and individuals in a community to empower coordinated actions in fighting for environmental justice on the local level. In keeping with this mission, the center is facilitating research on three main areas including toxicology hazards and the study of economic development as it relates to environmental justice. The center also runs three training programs: Information Is Power, a course teaching communities ways in which to access environmental information; Computer Ready, a computer skills training course; and Leadership, which teaches community members how to network and form coalitions. The center was started by a consortium of universities including Southern University of New Orleans, University of New Orleans, Dillard University, Xavier University, Clark Atlanta University, and Hampton University; it serves Louisiana, east Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama.

• Cuyahoga Community College. In 1992, Cuyahoga Community College was awarded a grant by EPA to offer an associate of science degree for environmental science technicians; develop community outreach and recruitment, especially for people of color; increase their involvement in environmental issues and careers; develop a long-range environmental education plan; and establish a tech-prep program for high school students. The college is establishing an advisory committee to provide expertise and guidance in developing an Environmental Science Technology program with appropriate course work to enable matriculation agreements with four-year institutions. Additionally, in July 1994, Cuyahoga Community College established a Center for Environmental Education and Training.

• Davidson School -- Sustainability for the Disabled. An EPA grant is enabling the Davidson School in Elwyn, Pennsylvania, to provide training in environmental education to teachers and university students majoring in special education. The Curriculum for Environmental Education of the Disabled will be distributed nationwide through a network of participating organizations and agencies. By targeting disabled secondary school students, this program will reach a traditionally underserved audience.

• Chicago Academy of Sciences. The Chicago Academy of Sciences' Project Ecological-Citizenship is designed for urban multicultural elementary students; it also involves parents and the community. The project's core element is a multidisciplinary ecology program incorporating hands-on explorations of environmental issues affecting inner-city communities. The academy's model program has been used to introduce environmental education in inner-city schools throughout the nation.

• Project SEED. Project SEED (Seniors Environmental Education Development) in Fremont, Ohio, is an excellent example of how a community-based organization can communicate with an audience not typically reached through other methods of environmental education. The project, which is run by four Ohio counties, educates disadvantaged senior citizens about the health hazards of indoor air pollution and about conservation opportunities within their homes, such as weatherization and water conservation.

• Three Circles Center. Three Circles Center for Multicultural Environmental Education is a nonprofit organization that aims to introduce, encourage, and cultivate multicultural perspectives and values in environmental and outdoor education, recreation, and interpretation. The center helps create access to environmental education for children of color across the country through teaching, program design, evaluation, curriculum development, and outdoor field study opportunities. It also helps organizations and educators by publishing a journal, offering presentations and workshops, and consulting on a variety of areas including programs and curriculum design, development, and evaluation; community relations; materials review; and board and staff development and facilitation. Two current Three Circles Center efforts are described below.
  • Parker Elementary School in East Oakland, California, has taken a bold step: It will become a magnet school for environmental science. This designation allows the school to build on six years of collaboration with the Inside Out Academy, an environmental education program founded by the executive director of Three Circles Center and a group of progressive teachers at Parker. The Inside Out Academy began by stressing the importance of providing environmental education to children of color in an urban environment; it then saw the potential in linking the program to overall school reform. To help facilitate this, Parker and the Inside Out Academy participated in a collaborative effort to renovate the curricula and develop a positive leadership climate. Many ideas about multicultural environmental education were developed at Parker, where the student body is over 90 percent African American, with an increasing number of Latino students and students of Southeast Asian descent. Three Circles Center is in the process of recording the school's experiences, focusing on how environmental education was taught in such an ethnically diverse context.

  • Three Circles Center has initiated the Multicultural Technical Assistance Project (MTAP) to support the incorporation of multicultural issues and perspectives into selected San Francisco Bay Area environmental education programs. The 10 programs involved in MTAP were selected based on their commitment to change and their ability to identify barriers in meeting organizational goals. MTAP provides peer support and acknowledgment, identification of significant resources, and supportive and visionary leadership to these programs. Specifically, it held three eight-hour interactive, participatory workshops on building and developing a diverse staff; developing successful relationships with diverse communities; and multicultural environmental education. Numerous "next steps" came out of the workshops, and in the two months following them, participants regrouped to share their challenges and successes in facilitating multicultural change in their programs.