NCLB Leaves Environmental Education Behind

[Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>]

SCHOOLS GET FAILING MARKS FOR NOT TEACHING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Associated Press - December 1, 2007
by April Castro

Austin -- At a time of heightened concern over global warming and 
depleting ocean life, U.S. schoolchildren are not being taught some of 
the most basic environmental lessons, experts say.

While students are doing better at math and reading, watchdogs and 
teachers say the overwhelming focus on those core academic areas has 
left them surprisingly unaware of their own surroundings.

As Congress grapples to rewrite the six-year-old No Child Left Behind 
law, the science gap has become part of the debate.

"Young people are graduating from high school totally environmentally 
illiterate," said Brian A. Day, executive director of the North American 
Association for Environmental Education. "They neither know nor know how 
to find out how to address challenges, whether with lifestyle changes or 
public policy issues."

A recent study titled "Environmental Literacy in America" reports that 
as states focus more on standards and accountability testing, the amount 
of environmental education being taught in schools has "leveled off and 
may even be in decline for the first time in three decades."

The decline couldn't come at a worse time, critics say.

"We're at a time where, because of things like climate change — with 
more and more evidence that the climate is changing — all these issues 
are becoming increasingly acute, so we need to engage young people in 
addressing these issues, so we need to educate young people," said 
Delicia Reynolds, legislative counsel for U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, 
D-Md., a sponsor of environmental education legislation in Congress 
known as No Child Left Inside.

Science teachers around the country are complaining that they no longer 
have the time and resources to take students on field trips, an element 
they say is key to earth science education.

Now some in Congress want to do something about it.

Early drafts of legislation to reauthorize No Child Left Behind puts 
more of an emphasis on environmental education and includes money to 
fund it.

"We have seen more interest since January on Capitol Hill for 
environmental education than we've seen in three decades," Day said. 
"The public is ahead of policy makers and policy makers are starting to 
look up and say 'my constituents want this.'"

Several education, science and business experts have been lobbying 
Congress to include science scores in school accountability measures.

"Although there's a lot of good things about No Child Left Behind ... 
there's a lot of unintended consequences, like schools having to choose 
to scale back or eliminate very important programs," Reynolds said.

The No Child Left Behind law, which President Bush signed in 2001 and is 
up for reauthorization this year, requires students to be tested 
annually in reading and math while in grades 3-8, and once in high 
school. Starting this year, schools will have to test students in 
science once in elementary, middle and high school, under a provision in 
the law. But states are not required to use science scores in mandatory 
progress measures, known as adequate yearly progress.

Legislation considered by the U.S. House earlier this year would have 
required schools to include science test scores in adequate yearly 
progress ratings. The issue is expected to come up again next year.

"If they don't test it, it's not going to get taught," said Jodi 
Peterson, assistant executive director for the National Association of 
Science Teachers.

Not everyone salutes the idea that topics such as global warming and 
environmental education should be included as part of the federally 
mandated curriculum.

"I don't think we need the federal government getting involved in 
telling the schools how to do certain things and testing in certain 
things," said Brooke Terry, an education policy analyst for the 
conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation. "Just because No Child Left 
Behind looks at reading and math doesn't mean that states aren't holding 
schools accountable for science and testing or at least attempting to."

Since No Child Left Behind began, school districts have cut time on 
science to about 178 minutes a week, about a third of the time spent on 
English, according to a study by the Center on Education Policy earlier 
this year. By comparison, lunch gets 142 minutes per week.

"It's happening at a time when environmental education has never been 
more important," Day said. "The issues that we're dealing with aren't as 
simple as recycling."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5344205.html