State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson released a plan to improve curriculum designed to teach students about the environment titled, “A Blueprint for Environmental Literacy.”

“Climate change, wildfires and the drought are clear reminders of how important environmental issues are to our own lives and the health of planet Earth,” Torlakson said. “Students need to learn about the environment so they can make informed choices and help to maintain our clean water and air. A Blueprint for Environmental Literacy provides recommendations that could help educate all students about how to create a sustainable and healthy environment.”

Torlakson convened a 47-member Environmental Literacy Task Force last year to evaluate the state of environmental education and make recommendations for improvement.  Elizabeth Babcock of the California Academy of Sciences and Craig Strang of the Lawrence Hall of Science led the task force, and its findings were published in Torlakson’s plan.

The task force recommended that high-quality environmental education be available to all students and also pointed out the necessity of finding a funding source to sustain and improve instruction, as well as the importance of working with outside organizations to ensure the instruction is high quality to provide students with a variety of learning experiences. The report recommended that environmental education be integrated into history-social science instruction, as well as in California’s new standards for English, mathematics and science.

In addition, it recommended that students should have more opportunities to learn about the environment using activities such as growing a school garden and visiting parks, farms, museums, aquariums, science centers and zoos.

Torlakson said the California Department of Education has already begun implementing several task force recommendations. The department has formed a team to put the recommendations into action.

For more information on the state’s efforts to improve environmental literacy, visit the California Department of Education’s Environmental Education Web page.