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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 22, 2008 |
Contact: Tom Waldron 410-323-5152; cell: 410-350-6637 |
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Maryland Governor, Education Leaders Call for New Federal Support for Environmental Education
Head of Chesapeake Bay Foundation Highlights the Need To Get Children Outside to Learn about the Environment
LAUREL, Md. – A range of elected officials, education leaders, environmentalists and students urged a Congressional panel today to provide major new support for environmental education across the country. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley joined educators, a public health expert in childhood obesity and researchers who have detailed a drop in attendance at national parks in making the case for more federal support for environmental education. The calls for new federal funding for environmental education came during a hearing of a House Education and Labor Committee subcommittee at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Md. William C. Baker, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and a representative of the No Child Left Inside Coalition, said environmental education is critically important as the nation moves forward to confront looming environmental challenges. “Given the many constraints we have placed on them, many teachers are not able to get their students outside to learn and explore,” Baker said. “But this should not be considered simply an optional learning experience. All children should have the chance to study their natural world. And we know that most subjects – whether it’s reading, math, science or social studies – can be taught using an environmental theme.” The No Child Left Inside Coalition, made up of more than 210 environmental, educational, recreation, public heath and business groups representing more than 20 million members, is supporting the No Child Left Inside Act, which would authorize $100 million in annual support for environmental education. The Coalition has grown enormously in recent months as groups recognize the value that environmental education holds in the lives of American children. At the hearing, Governor O’Malley highlighted his newly signed executive order that establishes the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature. The Partnership will work to create new opportunities for young people to spend time outside and will develop a state environmental literacy plan to ensure that all Maryland students have a basic understanding of the environment. “We applaud Governor O’Malley for making Maryland a leader among the states in working to find ways to get our kids outside,” Baker said. “Parents across the state understand the importance of doing that, and this Partnership will make it happen. And the environmental literacy plan will provide a roadmap for teachers and principals to use to provide creative, high-quality environmental lessons both outside and inside the classroom.” “Twenty-five years ago, the report ‘A Nation at Risk’ sent shockwaves through the country when it pointed out how American schools were being outperformed by much of the rest of the world,” Baker said. “On this anniversary, we still have a nation at risk. Not only are we under performing, we have looming environmental crises. Environmental education can help solve both these problems.” The federal NCLI Act (H.R. 3036 and S. 1981) would create a five-year, $500 million grant program and would provide incentives to states to develop environmental literacy plans. Such plans will help states demonstrate how they will incorporate outdoor and environmental instruction and ensure that their graduates are environmentally literate. The lead House sponsor of the NCLI Act is Rep. John P. Sarbanes of Maryland. The lead sponsor in the Senate is Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island. Support for environmental education has grown significantly this year in Congress. The No Child Left Inside Act has bipartisan support from more than 42 co-sponsors in the House and 13 in the Senate. For more information about the NCLI Coalition or the NCLI Act, visit www.NCLICoalition.org.
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