2003 Education Summit

2003 Chesapeake Bay Education Summit Agenda Kevin Coyle, National Environmental Education and Training Foundation. "Improving Student Performance through Environmental Education Initiatives." - Keynote speaker Kevin Coyle presented research data that shows interactive environmental learning helps children improve scores on standardized tests. Mr. Coyle showed nation-wide there is a high rate of approval for teaching environmental education in public schools (95%), and 75% of Americans find environmental education as important as Math and English. District of Columbia Overview: Gilda Allen, DC Department of Health - Gilda Allen from the District of Columbia Department of Health presented the District of Columbia overview. The overview describes the current progress and future challenges of the District for implementing the goal from the Chesapeake 2000 agreement that reads: "Beginning with the class of 2005, provide a meaningful Bay or stream outdoor experience for every school student in the watershed before graduation from high school.”Maryland Overview: Rebecca Bell, MD Department of Education - Rebecca Bell from the Maryland Department of Education presented the Maryland overview. The overview describes the current progress and future challenges of the state of Maryland for implementing the goal from the Chesapeake 2000 agreement that reads: "Beginning with the class of 2005, provide a meaningful Bay or stream outdoor experience for every school student in the watershed before graduation from high school.”Pennsylvania Overview: Mike Snyder, PA American Water Works Association - Mike Snyder with the Pennsylvania American Water Works Association presented the Pennsylvania overview. The overview describes the current progress and future challenges of the state of Pennsylvania for implementing the goal from the Chesapeake 2000 agreement that reads: "Beginning with the class of 2005, provide a meaningful Bay or stream outdoor experience for every school student in the watershed before graduation from high school.”Virginia Overview: Ann Regn, VA Department of Environmental Quality - Ann Regn from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality presented the Virginia overview. The overview describes the current progress and future challenges of the Commonwealth of Virginia for implementing the goal from the Chesapeake 2000 agreement that reads: "Beginning with the class of 2005, provide a meaningful Bay or stream outdoor experience for every school student in the watershed before graduation from high school.”Jennifer McDonnell, Alexandria Seaport Foundation - The Alexandria Seaport Foundation (ASF) partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide hands-on opportunities for Eastport Elementary students to learn and actively participate in a restoration project near their school. During the duration of the project, the students participated in a field study at a nearby refuge, grew arrow arum plants at their school and then planted them as part of a restoration project at Truxtin Park near Annapolis, Maryland. This project was completed through the integration of ASF’s Environmental Program, Wetlands Program, Apprentice Program, ASF volunteers and NOAA.Karen Kelly & Carolyn Kolstad, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - This presentation provides an overview of the Schoolyard Habitat Program, an initiative developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Chesapeake Bay Field Office in 1993. Participants will learn about how the program is carried out, the accomplishments, the challenges, and the many opportunities that lie ahead. The program received a major boost through two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Meaningful Bay Experience grants given to two non-government partners (the Friends of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Educators) in 2003 and 2004.Don Baugh, Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “Changing Environmental Education to Keep Pace with the Changing Education Climate” - This session will outline the critical role that teacher professional development plays in providing comprehensive environmental education programs. The genesis of the Chesapeake Classrooms program is three in depth third party evaluations commissioned by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, followed by the Bay Schools Program that has hard data linking student achievement with Bay studies. Students participating in Chesapeake Classrooms will participate in on-the-water experiences that are integrated into the classroom curriculum, so that the standards are not just referenced, but met with real, authentic, project based education. Bottom line is that schools interested in meeting No Child Left Behind driven accountability can adopt this approach that has demonstrated real results. Teachers are using the best practices, students are engaged, and scores, particularly reading, are making significant increases.Mark Scallion & E.B. James, Audubon Maryland-DC. “Project-based learning through a mentoring program” - The primary goal of the program is to provide high school and elementary students with a meaningful Chesapeake Bay Watershed experience that provides students with the foundation of a lifetime of involvement with nature. This program will increase the ability of the environmental community to meet the need of an educated citizenry capable of informed decision making as relates to the Chesapeake Bay. The program offers students the opportunity to understand ecosystem interactions and begin a lifetime relationship with the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Angie L. Ashley, National Aquarium in Baltimore. “Schoolyard Spartina: Chesapeake Bay Wetland Nursery Program” - To advance Chesapeake Bay tidal wetland restoration efforts, the Aquarium has initiated Schoolyard Spartina: Wetland Nursery Program, a program originally developed by Tampa BayWatch that gives students the opportunity to combine science lessons with the maintenance and monitoring of a coastal wetland plant nursery. Participating students grow, maintain, and harvest smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), a native salt marsh plant, before planting them at wetland restoration projects in Baltimore and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Associated classroom activities focus on the lifecycle of the plants, their environmental needs, and their importance to the estuarine ecosystem.Christine Truett, Living Classrooms Foundation. “SLURRP- School Leadership in Urban Runoff Reduction Project.” - The School Leadership in Urban Runoff Reduction Project (SLURRP) provides a Project-based learning experience for students that is centered on the question, “What is stormwater runoff pollution, and how can we help prevent it?” Throughout the program, students work within their own neighborhoods and schoolyards to investigate this important urban environmental issue, to examine their own attitudes and behaviors, and to seek solutions to this problem. Action steps of the project include neighborhood trash reduction, storm drain stenciling and community outreach, rain barrel creation and implementation, storm drain research, and schoolyard impervious surface reduction and green space planting. At the conclusion of the program, students participate in a public awareness contest to celebrate their accomplishments and share their knowledge with the community.Kristin Alexander, Potomac Valley Audubon Society. “A Watershed Education Initiative in West Virginia” - Last year saw the launch of this program offered by the Potomac Valley Audubon Society, based in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Interns from Shepherd College visit local classrooms six times in the spring semester. Each progressive visit provides students with hands-on activities related to watersheds to provide students (and teachers) with a watershed perspective of their community. The program concludes with a service learning project where teachers and students decide on a “watershed improvement site” on the school property where students plant an area with native plants that benefit the watershed by filtering pollutants, slowing runoff, and providing habitat.Michael W. Lovegreen, Bradford County Conservation District - The Bradford County Conservation District provides an excellent example of a broad-based approach to environmental education. The Conservation District incorporates programs that range from graduate level courses for teachers to traditional in-class programs related to the Chesapeake Bay. A variety of meaningful Bay or stream outdoor experiences are offered to local school districts to help teachers address the new Standards for Environment and Ecology that the Pennsylvania Department of Education has recently passed. Additional training and environmental education programs on the Chesapeake Bay are also offered to civic groups, watershed association, farmers and the general public. Jurisdictional Reports and Common Themes - The jurisdictional groups present the end products from the previous day’s Break-Out Sessions. These end products are combined to show the common themes among the jurisdictions.Stewardship and Meaningful Watershed Education Experiences - This Education Workgroup Agreement defines a meaningful Bay or stream outdoor experience.Strategies for Implementing and Tracking the Meaningful Bay or Stream Outdoor Experience: Report from the 2003 Chesapeake Bay Education Summit - The 2003 Chesapeake Bay Education Summit fulfilled the goal of creating a strategy that will guide the Chesapeake Bay Program Education Workgroup to meet its Chesapeake 2000 commitments. The summit emphasized the commitment to provide all students in the watershed with a meaningful Bay or stream outdoor experience by 2005. The strategy focuses on the areas of marketing, quality control, funding, tracking and a Web site. The insights gained from the summit will greatly help the Education Workgroup to further their successes and to focus their energy on the areas needed to provide all students in the watershed with a meaningful Bay and stream outdoor experience.2003 Education Summit Report Appendix - This Appendix with a table of contents and abstracts of presentations is to accompany the 2003 Education Summit Report.