A push for enviro- education
<p>Linda Rhoads, of the North American Association of Environmental Education, discusses the importance of environmental literacy during her presentation Friday at the Idaho Environmental Education Association Conference held at Red Lion Temlin's Hotel in Post Falls.</p>
POST FALLS - A statewide group plans to release an environmental literacy plan this summer that will complement federal No Child Left Inside legislation.
About 75 attendees at the Idaho Environmental Education Conference at Red Lion Templin's Hotel on the River on Friday were updated on the plan and bill.
Linda Rhoads, of the North American Association of Environmental Education and the event's keynote speaker, said the bill's supporters are working on getting bi-partisan support to float it to Congress.
If passed, the bill creates a funding mechanism for states that have developed environmental literacy plans.
"It authorizes Congress to spend money some time in the future if it's available, although that's unlikely right now," said Rhoads, adding that the amount in the bill is $100 million.
The Idaho Environmental Education Association received a $33,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last year to develop an environmental literacy K-12 plan.
A 16-member advisory committee of education and industry representatives will present the plan to the Idaho Department of Education and general public this summer during stakeholder meetings across the state to be announced.
"It's a framework we're developing to move the concept of environmental literacy forward," said IEEA Director Kristin Fletcher.
Forty-three states are working on environmental literacy plans and three others have plans completed.
"It's important for states to use this as a tool for not only the end game (funding), but to enable conversations with non-traditional partners and reach the whole populace of Idaho," Rhoads said. "This funding would support programs you're including in your plan. You have a great opportunity. I encourage you to grab it and run with it."
Rhoads said the federal legislation is designed for local control.
"It's up to the states on what they want in their literacy plans," she said.
Proponents of the No Child Left Inside Act believe that students, under the federal No Child Left Behind Program, are spending more time on high-stakes reading and math tests at the expense of sacrificing subjects such as environmental education.
A 2008 Center on Education Policy student found that some school districts are focusing less on social studies and science and that field trips and outdoor learning activities have been cut to give more time to tested subjects.
No Child Left Inside backers believe the legislation would address the situation by giving new incentives to provide environmental education. The proposal also argues that environmental education requires students to use math, reading, science and writing skills.
Environmental education advocates believe the state plans and bill will give students deeper meanings to science, civics and the arts, help them succeed in a global economy and understand Idaho's rich natural resources better.