Environmental education can no longer be simply extracurricular

Friday, Aug. 20, 2010

It used to be summer was a time for children to flee the confines of four walls and play outside.

According to recent statistics, that is no longer the case. Studies show the average teenager spends six hours a day in front of a computer or television, and only a few minutes outside.

In an effort to reverse this trend, a group of four teachers from St. Mary's County spent the week of Aug. 1 to 7 outside with other educators on remote Smith and Tangier islands in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.

They were doing things that kids in the old days would have loved: fishing, crabbing, and other activities on the water. But the teachers had a very serious purpose. They attended a professional development course to learn how to get their own students outside and engaged in environmental education.

The fact that so many teachers, and even principals, attend similar programs each summer is a hopeful sign that educators recognize the potential of environmental education.

In collaboration with the Environmental Science Education Partnership, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science provides a variety of professional development opportunities for kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers throughout Maryland and the bay watershed. These and related efforts enable teachers and their students to learn about the ecology and natural history of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed and carry those lessons with them throughout their lives.

Another positive sign is the number of "green schools" sprouting up across Maryland. As a board member of the Chesapeake Bay Trust — which makes grants to schools and nonprofits using contributions Marylanders make through the Treasure the Chesapeake license plate program — I've witnessed the surge of interest in work to make Maryland's schools greener and build comprehensive environmental education programs statewide.

Southern Maryland is a case in point: St. Mary's County has nine green schools, Charles County has 11 and Calvert County has just recently certified all of its schools as green schools through the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education.

But in perhaps the most encouraging sign of all, the Maryland State Board of Education is currently considering a landmark proposal that would make environmental literacy a high school graduation requirement for all Maryland students. Environmentally literate students understand environmental and physical processes and systems, and are able to analyze and weigh various sides of environmental issues to make responsible decisions.

The proposal would give county school districts lots of flexibility, and would not add to their already significant burdens.

But it would mean a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary program for environmental education for each student in the state, not just a fortunate few. A final vote is expected in September.

Studies have shown that environmental education improves student achievement, sparks interest in math and science, and provides interdisciplinary skills necessary to compete in a globalizing economy.

As we work to restore the Chesapeake Bay, address the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico and deal with the immense global challenge of climate change, the urgent need for improved environmental education has become increasing clear.

A report last year by the National Science Foundation called for a national push for environmental literacy in order to educate citizens. We need policymakers and citizens with the knowledge and skills to understand and act on behalf of a world that is becoming evermore complex, the report concluded.

Maryland could be at the forefront of this national movement. I urge residents to contact their local representative to the state school board to voice support for the proposal online at stateboard@msde.state.md.us.

Environmental education can no longer be simply extracurricular. We need to incorporate these studies in our schools to safeguard the future of our children and our society.

Margaret A. Palmer, Solomons

The writer is director of Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.