No Child Left Inside Description of NCLI and what it will do Missouri NCLI Working Group (names, affiliations, who to contact) No Child Left Inside National Homepage (current efforts and news) Summary of NCLI's Provisions Missouri Representatives who are cosponsoring the legislation Description of NCLI An Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) is a comprehensive, integrated plan for incorporating environmental education into public schools. The No Child Left Inside Act (NCLI) provides financial support for states that have an Environmental Literacy Plan on file with their state department of education. There are six major elements in an ELP: Content Standards: specific content standards, content areas and courses or subjects where instruction takes place; Graduation Requirements: description of how state high school graduation requirements will ensure graduates are environmentally literate; Teacher Professional Development: description of programs for professional development of teachers to improve their environmental content knowledge, skill in teaching about environmental issues and field-based pedagogical skills; Assessment: description of how the state education agency will measure the environmental literacy of students; Implementation and Funding: description of how the state education agency will implement the plan, including securing funding and other necessary support; and Facilities and Grounds: plans and resources for school facilities and grounds. Why is Environmental Literacy important? 95% of Americans think environmental education should be taught in schools (1) Using the environment as an integrating context (2) significantly improved student scores on standardized tests in science, math and language arts in elementary schools, and in science, language arts and social studies in middle through high schools, with no negative impacts on the other subjects. Environmental education also improved students’ attendance, decreased office referrals and suspensions, and increased teachers' enthusiasm and commitment to teaching. (3) Coyle, K. 2005. Environmental Literacy in America: What ten years of NEEF Roper Research and Related Studies Say About Environmental Literacy in the U.S.) http://www.neefusa.org/pdf/ELR2005.pdf) Using the environment as an integrating context means 1) using a relevant context - local resources, situations and issues, 2) tackling demanding questions (usually initiated by students after an initial prompt), 3) using interactive approaches, 4) having a learner orientation 5) using authentic assessments (reports, letters, ordinances, bills, grants), and 6) having an integrated, interdisciplinary, collaborative approach (see SEER) 1998 Closing the Achievement Gap: Using the Environment as an Integrating Context, 2000 California Assessment Project, 2005 California Assessment Project Phase 2 - Elementary Schools at www.seer.org <http://www.seer.org> . SEER is the State Environmental Education Roundtable: California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington) Missouri's NCLI Working Group Coordinator: Jenna Rhodes, Grandview H.S. and Missouri Environmental Education Association contact: 816.316.5874 or jenna.rhodes@csd4.k12.mo.us Content Standards: Regina Knauer, Missouri Department of Conservation - Education Programs; Erica Cox, Missouri Project WET; Linda Dooling, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education - Teacher Development Graduation Requirements: Jim Lubbers, Missouri Department of Natural Resources - Solid Waste Division; Jenna Rhodes, Grandview High School - Science and MEEA Teacher Professional Development: Regina Knauer, Missouri Department of Conservation; Erica Cox, Missouri Project WET; Linda Dooling, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Assessment: Nikki Davenport, University City Schools - Math/Science Curriculum; Jan Weaver, University of Missouri - Environmental Studies Implementation and Funding: Angelette Prichette, Missouri Department of Higher Education - Research, Amy Buechler, Conservation Federation of Missouri - Teaming With Wildlife; Fran Fry, Niangua Schools Facilities and Grounds: Andrea Putnam, Missouri Department of Natural Resources - State Parks; Donna Utter, AbitibiBowater Paper Recycling, Fran Fry, Niangual Schools In July the working group met with delegations from Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska at a summit in Nebraska City. The first draft of the action plan was created and brought back to each state to work on. The Missouri leadership team has been working on each of the six elements to move them forward. We meet monthly either by conference call or face-to-face meetings. Our deadline for completion of the plan is September 2010.   No Child Left Inside (NCLI) National Home Page (sponsored by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation) - http://www.cbf.org/Page.aspx?pid=687   A Summary of NCLI's Provisions *Please note that the following information is for the No Child Left Inside Act of 2008. 1. State Environmental Literacy Plans NCLB Title II To qualify for environmental education grant monies under Title II and Title V, a state educational agency must develop and submit a K-12 plan to the United States Department of Education for peer review and approval that will ensure that elementary and secondary school students are environmentally literate. The plan will be submitted by the state educational agency in consultation with state natural resource and environmental agencies and with input from the public. A state educational agency may submit an existing state plan that has been developed by or in cooperation with state environmental organizations provided that the plan meets specified requirements. State plans must include: relevant content standards, content areas, and courses or subjects where instruction will take place; a description of the relationship of the plan to state graduation requirements; a description of programs for professional development of teachers to improve their environmental content knowledge, skill in teaching about environmental issues, and field-based pedagogical skills; a description of how the state educational agency will measure the environmental literacy of students; and a description of how the state educational agency will implement the plan, including securing funding and other necessary support. A state educational agency may use state funds for the development of the State Environmental Literacy Plan 1. 2. Grants for Enhancing Education through Environmental Education NCLB Title II Creates an environmental education grant program for teacher professional development and student programs (modeled on the Math/Science Partnership in Title II of NCLB). The purpose of this grant program is to ensure the academic achievement of students in environmental literacy through the professional development of teachers and educators and outdoor learning experiences for students. One hundred million dollars are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this grant program and the state environmental literacy plans (2) for fiscal year 2008 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years. The United States Department of Education awards grants to state educational agencies, to whom eligible partnerships apply for these grants. Eligible partnerships include a local educational agency and may include: a teacher training department of an institution of higher education; an environmental department of an institution of higher education; another local education agency, a public charter school, a public or private (3) elementary school or secondary school, or a consortium of such schools; a state environmental or natural resource management agency or a local environmental or natural resource management agency (4); a business (5); or a nonprofit or for-profit organization of demonstrated effectiveness in improving the quality of environmental education teachers, such as through outdoor environmental education experiences (6). 3. Environmental Education Grant Program to Help Build National Capacity NCLB Title V Creates an environmental education grant program to help build national capacity by providing funds for the development, improvement, and advancement of environmental education. This grant program also supports the dissemination of proven environmental educational models, studies of national significance, and the development of new state or national financing sources for environmental education. Eligible recipients of these grants from the United States Department of Education include nonprofit organizations, state educational agencies, local educational agencies, or institutions of higher education that have demonstrated expertise and experience in the development of the institutional, financial, intellectual, or policy resources needed to help the field of environmental education become more effective and widely practiced. 1 Sentence not included in S.1981. 2 Phrase not included in H.R.3036. 3 Word not included in S.1981. 4 Phrase not included in H.R.3036. 5 Word not included in S.1981. 6 Phrase not included in H.R.3036.   Missouri Co-Sponsors of NCLI - please call or write and thank them for their support! Russ Carnahan - District 3 Washington, DC: 1710 Longworth HOB Washington DC, 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2671 Fax: (202) 225-7452 St. Louis: 8764 Manchester Road, Suite 203 St.+Louis, MO 63144 Phone: (314) 962-1523 Fax: (314) 962-7169 Jefferson County: 517 Bailey Road Crystal City, MO 63019 Phone: (636) 937-8039 Fax: (636) 937-7138 Emanuel Cleaver- District 5 Washington, D.C.: 1027 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515, phone: 202-225-4535, fax: 202-225-4403 Kansas City: 101 W. 31 Street, Kansas City, MO 64108, phone: 816-842-4545, fax: 816-471-5215 Independence: 211 West Maple Avenue, Independence, MO 64050, phone: 816-833-4545, fax: 816-833-2991 Please contact these representatives and educate them about NCLI! William Clay District 1(St. Louis City) Washington, DC: 2418 Rayburn House Office Building Washington D.C., 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2406 FAX: (202) 226-3717 Todd Akin District 2 (St. Louis County, St. Charles) Washington D.C.: 117 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, (202) 225-2561, (202) 225-2563 (fax) Ike Skelton District 4 (Sedalia, Blue Springs, Jefferson City, Lebanon) Washington, DC: 2206 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515-2504, Telephone: 202-225-2876 Sam Graves District 6 (Liberty, St. Joseph) Washington, D.C.: 1415 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515, Phone: (202) 225-7041, Fax: (202) 225-8221 Roy Blunt District 7 (Springfield, Joplin) Washington D.C.: 2229 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC, 20515, (202) 225-6536, (202) 225-5604 Fax Jo Ann Emerson District 8 (Cape Girardeau, Rolla, Farmington, West Plains) Washington DC: 2440 Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC 20515, (202) 225-4404 Blaine Luetkemeyer District 9 (Columbia, Hannibal, Washington - MO) Washington D.C.: 1118 Longworth HOB, Washington, D.C. 20515, Phone: (202) 225-2956, Fax: (202) 225-5712 Please contact your sentators as well! Kit Bond Washington: 274 Russell Senate Office Building., Washington, DC 20510, (202) 224-5721 Claire McCaskill Washington D.C.: Hart Senate Office Building, SH-717, Washington, D.C. 20510, (202) 224-6154 FAX (202) 228-6326