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Components of a State-Level Comprehensive EE Program
Often called "the EE wheel," a concept and graphic developed by Ruskey and Wilke* allows states to measure their progress towards a comprehensive EE program in 20 program areas.
Each of the 20 elements is listed below, along with an initial assessment by NNREC of Nevada's progress towards a comprehensive program. NNREC may well be unaware of some activities and capacity in the state, and recognizes that perspectives on existing capacity vary with agencies, organizations and individuals.
If you would like to comment on the status, to disagree, to add information, to request more information, please use the Nevada Status on Components of State-level Comprehensive EE Program on the NNREC Wiki. This page is also available as a pdf.
Program
- State Assessment that includes EE: Nevada currently uses Nevada-developed Criterion Referenced Tests (CRT) for reading and math in grades 3–8, and science in grades 5 and 8; Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) for reading, math, science and writing in grades 4 and 7, High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) in math, reading and writing for grades 10–12, and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED) for reading, math, science and writing in grade 10. None of the assessments has a significant component of environmental education. The science CRT does cover the science content standards that have application in environmental education. [1]
- EE Training for Teacher Educators: No training for teacher educators has been provided. [2]
- EE Training for Preservice Teachers: Preservice teachers in Nevada receive some exposure to environmental education in their science methods courses, particularly at Sierra Nevada College, however, there is no effort to bridge the methods courses with environmental education. Methods course instructors often use Project WET, Project Learning Tree and Project WILD activities to create an initial exposure and source of lessons for preservice teachers. [3]
- EE Guidelines and Standards: There are no state-adopted guidelines or standards in environmental education. For a period of time, science standards pulled out environmental science as a fourth topic area in addition to life, earth and space, and physical science, however, in the 2005 revision these were merged back into the other science standards. [4]
- Coordinated Teacher Inservice Programs: A variety of training opportunities are available, offered by NNREC and a large number of other providers. Some of these are available for university credit, Nevada inservice credit, district inservice credit, and through the four Regional Professional Development Program (RPDP) centers. Most of these opportunities have been documented on NNREC’s Professional Development calendar. There is a widespread feeling among the providers of EE training that the Projects provide an entry point to environmental education but are not sufficient to change classroom practice and achieve the goal of comprehensive environmental literacy for students. [5]
- EE Training for Nonformal Educators: Some of the training opportunities available to teachers are also available to nonformal educators, including Project WET and Project Learning Tree. The federal lands management agencies in southern Nevada and their partners are providing some training open to educators beyond their own employees. [6]
- EE Model or Resource Schools: NNREC has made some initial efforts to identify model schools, however, no strong models have been identified. No funding from state or national sources has been directed to the development of such model schools. [7]
- EE Correlations to State Standards: Project WET in Nevada is correlated to the state science and math content standards, with minor updates required to reflect the 2005 science revisions and the 2006 math revisions. Project Learning Tree is not correlated, nor are any other curriculum programs. [8]
Structure
- State EE Association: The Nevada Natural Resource Education Council (NNREC) is providing an increased level of coordination and leadership for the state, made possible by part-time staff starting this year. However, there are insufficient resources to date to continue or increase this level of activity. NNREC is again receiving recognition from agencies, organizations, teachers, and school administrators for its coordination and leadership role. No other entities in the state are providing coordination and leadership at a statewide level, though the Public Lands Institute of UNLV is now providing this function for southern Nevada, and NNREC is working closely with them to coordinate efforts. [9]
- State EE Office: There is no office of environmental education nor staff within either the Nevada Department of Education or Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Within the Nevada Department of Education, the science consultant has had responsibility for environmental education, but with this function understaffed, there is no attention paid to environmental education within the department. Environmental education is not addressed within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources except by individuals who have some job responsibility or personal interest. [10]
- Online Database of EE Resources: A significant part of the information that would constitute a database is available on the NNREC website (http://nnrrec.org/), but not in database format, on the CHOLLA Beyond the Classroom website (http://interact.ccsd.net/Beyond%20the%20Classroom/), and a PLI-sponsored database to be available at http://enviroedexchange.org/. The ultimate objective is to transfer information into databases for easier use, and to merge or tightly link all databases. [11]
- State EE Master Plan: No master plan has been developed. Many of the individual documents being developed such as the Nevada Environmental Education Training Plan and Environmental Literacy Guideline will be merged and enhanced to create a master plan at some point in the future. [12]
- State Interagency Committee: No committee exists. There is very little communication among state agencies on environmental education. In southern Nevada, the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP) is providing this function for federal agencies only, with funding from the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA). [13]
- K-12 EE Instruction Requirements: No requirements for inclusion of environmental education in the K-12 classroom exist. [14]
- State Curriculum/Resource Guides: Very few resources exist. Those that do are linked from the NNREC website. [15]
- State EE Board or Advisory Council: No advisory council exists. The NNREC Advisory Council provides some of this function, but it is not chartered at the state level and does not have a strong prominence among state agencies. [16]
- State-level EE Centers: No state-level EE centers exist. The Public Lands Institute of the University of Nevada Las Vegas serves some of the function of a center already, and may take on more responsibility in the future. The Academy for the Environment of the University of Nevada Reno may take on this role in the future but current programs are focused on environmental science and studies rather than environmental education. Sierra Nevada College has always had some emphasis on environmental education in both its professional preparation and science programs, but no formal role in environmental education. This may change with the opening of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center in 2006. [17]
Funding
- EE Grants Program: NNREC administers a small mini-grant program for educators and nonprofits, utilizing funds provided by the Nevada Division of Forestry Conservation Education Program. No other programs exist in the state. [18]
- Funding Sources: No state general funds or earmarked funds are available for environmental education. Some US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Education funds have come to agencies and organizations in the state, directly and indirectly, but less than the population and issues of the state would indicate. Some EPA nonpoint source management program funds have also been used for Project WET programs. The Nevada Division of Forestry Conservation Education program is funded by the USDA Forest Service Conservation Education program. Foundations have not traditionally funded environmental education in Nevada, but there is an increasing level of interest from the Community Foundation of Western Nevada and the Nevada Community Foundation (southern Nevada). [19]
- EE Trust Fund: No such fund exists. [20]
Nevada participated in a 2004-2005 survey of state capacity, which is presented at Results of Third Survey on the Status of Environmental Education at the State Level. The Nevada results are available.
* Ruskey, Abby and Wilke, Richard (1994). Promoting Environmental Education: An Action Handbook for Strengthening EE in Your State and Community. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Foundation Press, Inc. 349 pp. (revised 1998)
