Oil City Elementary Magnet School in Louisiana, a model Project Learning Tree (PLT) certified school, was presented on June 19 with the "National School Change Award" in recognition of its significant improvement. This annual honor is given to six U.S. schools by the American Association of School Administrators, New York's Fordham University Graduate School of Education, and Pearson Education. Since beginning PLT workshops for the entire faculty in 2001, the school’s student test scores have improved dramatically.
The URL is: http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/31_41_35.html

South Carolina middle school students are engaged in real-world, community-based, and standards-aligned environmental investigative and service-learning projects that improve their behavior, attitudes and grades. Teachers of all disciplines, together with parents, local businesses, universities, and federal, state, county and non-profit environmental groups are helping students stay in class and improve their learning. First year quantitative and qualitative data collected from an outside evaluator from ten South Carolina pilot middle schools indicate adolescents are responding very favorably to these new instructional strategies.

Teacher confidence and classroom management skills improved as students responded. The Environment as an Integrating Context (EIC) model is based on national research conducted by the State Education and Environment Roundtable (SEER). Visit the SEER© website at www.seer.org for information.

View the complete report: "Education Using the Environment" by Edward H. Falco online.
The URL is: http://www.myscschools.com/Offices/CSO/enved

The site includes a catalog listing environmental education materials available to order, locations of interpretive centers and special programs, and educational activities that can be downloaded.

The Division also offers contests and grants for children, educational institutions or groups.
The URL is: http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/education/

SEER advances the EIC Model (using the Environment as an Integrating Context for learning). The model employs natural and socio-cultural environments as the context for learning while taking into account the "best practices" of successful inservice, preservice, formal and nonformal educators. SEER has initiated EIC Demonstration School Networks in 12 states. Their website give a description of some EIC Demonstration Schools.
The URL is: http://www.seer.org

EE in Teacher Preparation: The Higher Ed initiative is dedicated to the inclusion of EE in pre-service teacher preparation. Efforts focus on a three-year inclusion strategy, top-down faculty support, & funding. An EE & Pre-service Teacher Ed Task group operates to develop a strategy & recommend action for the inclusion of EE in pre-service teacher ed programs.
The URL is: http://www.pcee.org