Quantifying a Relationship Between Place-based Learning and Environmental Quality Final Report Quantifying a Relationship Between Place-based Learning and Environmental Quality Final Report A Technical Assistance Report Prepared by National Park Service Conservation Study Institute In Collaboration with Shelburne Farms under Cooperative Agreement #H1818-07-0001, Task Agreement #J1818-07-A001 for Environmental Protection Agency under Interagency Agreement # DW14922290-01-0 Steering Committee: Megan Camp, Shelburne Farms Delia Clark, Shelburne Farms Michael Duffin, Shelburne Farms Bo Hoppin, Antioch University New England Brian Johnson, Shelburne Farms Daniel Laven, NPS Conservation Study Institute Libby McCann, Antioch University New England Michael Murphy, Shelburne Farms Ginger Potter, Environmental Protection Agency Andrew Powers, Shelburne Farms David Sobel, Antioch University New England Kim Stokely, Adopt-A-Watershed George Tremblay, Antioch University New England We encourage you to share the information in this report, and request only that you give appropriate citation and bibliographic credit. Recommended citation: Duffin, M., Murphy, M., & Johnson, B. (2008). Quantifying a relationship between place-based learning and environmental quality: Final report. Woodstock, VT: NPS Conservation Study Institute in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency and Shelburne Farms. Table of Contents Foreword, Ginger Potter, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1 Foreword, Nora Mitchell, NPS Conservation Study Institute 3 Executive Summary 5 Background and Context 9 Findings of Related Research 11 Methods 13 Sidebar: PBL Core Qualities and Promising Practices 14 Results 17 Sidebar: Physical vs. Proxy Indicators 20 Discussion 27 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research 31 Implications for Policy and Practice 35 Conclusion 37 Table of Contents of Appendices 39 Appendix A: Acknowledgments 41 Appendix B: Participating Programs 43 Appendix C: Descriptive Data 49 Appendix D: Survey Instrument 61 Appendix E: References 83 Appendix F: Photo Credits 87 Foreword by Ginger Potter, United States Environmental Protection Agency Since its creation in 1970, the U.S. Envi- sive to regulate. We must now look towards ronmental Protection Agency has made supplementing regulations with other tools enormous progress in improving the quality for environmental protection such as educa- and quantity of our country’s natural re- tion, information, and voluntary compliance sources through its mission to protect human programs. health and the environment. Regulation and The complexity of environmental prob- enforcement were, and still remain, the pri- lems continues to increase and will require a mary tools EPA uses to citizenry that is environ- mitigate the damage to the mentally literate and com- environment caused by the It is important to show mitted to taking personal most highly visible forms responsibility for protect- of “point-source” pollution that environmental ing the environment. from our chemical, plas- education programs EPA’s Office of Environ- tics, petroleum, automotive lead to improvements in mental Education believes and aviation industries, that education is essential among others. environmental quality. to increasing environ- However, many believe mental literacy and pro- that we have reached the moting stewardship and limit of what this type of approach can environmentally friendly behaviors. And achieve in terms of improved environmental there is increasing evidence to show that en- quality. In addition, research now shows that vironmental education programs and practices the primary sources of pollution in this coun- lead to improvements in academic achieve- try are diffuse “non-point source” pollution ment and environmental attitudes. However, generated by the individual, the household it is also important to show that environ- and small and medium sized industries, busi- mental education programs also lead to im- nesses and farms that are difficult and expen- provements in environmental quality. Quantifying a Relationship Between Place-based Learning and Environmental Quality 1 Until now, research that focuses on the environmental issues. This study of the im- impacts of environmental education on envi- pact of place-based learning programs on air ronmental quality has been extremely limited. quality at the local community level is an im- It is methodologically challenging and re- portant step in evaluating how environmental quires sustained resources. Nevertheless, education programs can and do lead to im- with the increasing focus on climate change, proved environmental quality. We hope that global warming, and biodiversity and wet- this study will launch a larger and broader lands loss, it is imperative that we commit to effort to investigate and quantify the impor- research that explores the use of education tant outcomes of environmental education programs to address these and other complex programs on environmental quality. Quantifying a Relationship Between Place-based Learning and Environmental Quality 2 Foreword by Nora Mitchell, Director, National Park Service Conservation Study Institute This study represents an important step ration linking education, environmental qual- forward in our understanding of how place- ity, and public lands. This project capitalizes based learning can improve environmental on the ten-year public-private partnership be- quality. While this research emphasizes edu- tween the National Park Service Conservation cation programs focused on air quality, the Study Institute and Shelburne Farms. The study findings have direct implications for Institute-Shelburne Farms partnership has other environmental areas and are of great worked to identify, demonstrate, and share value to public land managers as they develop promising practices to a broad audience of and improve their education programs. This public land managers, teachers and school research also illustrates the value of place- groups, and non-profit organizations. For this based learning in opening doors to partner- project, Shelburne Farms fielded an excep- ships between public lands and their neigh- tional team and we greatly appreciate their boring communities. Working collaboratively, ability to combine practical experience with public land managers, communities, and scientific rigor. We hope this report will en- schools can create educational experiences courage additional research and evaluation that improve environmental quality and en- and will contribute to the effectiveness and gage the next generation of stewards. benefits of place-based education. Working with Ginger Potter and the Envi- Information about the Conservation Study ronmental Protection Agency on this project Institute and Shelburne Farms and their pro- illustrates our shared interests and the oppor- grams is available online at www.nps.gov/csi tunities offered through interagency collabo- and www.shelburnefarms.org. Quantifying a Relationship Between Place-based Learning and Environmental Quality 3 Quantifying a Relationship Between Place-based Learning and Environmental Quality 4 Executive Summary Can education programs improve the en- three key findings: 1) nearly half of the pro- vironment? According to the National Envi- grams we studied reported evidence that air ronmental Education Advisory Council quality had actually improved over the course (2005), this is one of the most important of their projects; 2) most of the programs we questions facing the field of environmental studied took some sort of action to improve education as it matures and responds to chal- air quality; and 3) programs reporting more lenges from critics and supporters alike. This place-based learning (PBL) qualities and study was aimed directly at addressing this practices such as service-learning and com- question. Our goal was to munity partnerships were investigate to what extent more likely to report im- environmental improve- Nearly half of the provements in air quality. ment was a focus of programs we studied A program at East Val- school-based and nonfor- reported evidence that ley Middle School in mal education programs Washington state exempli- that focus on air quality air quality had improved fied one category of AQ (AQ), the degree to which over the course improvements found in our such programs achieved of their projects. study sample. Student in- measurable improvements, vestigations revealed un- and whether specific in- healthy levels of CO2, structional methods were associated with mold, odors, airflow, and airborne particulates these improvements. in classrooms at their school. After working Over the course of 2007-2008, our multi- with school administrators and maintenance agency evaluation group attempted to identify staff to address the problems, the students and contact all of the major air quality educa- conducted post-measurements and found im- tion programs in the United States. We com- provements in all indicators. Of the programs pleted a standardized telephone interview we studied, 11% reported positive changes in with representatives of 54 programs. Quanti- pre- and post- measures of physical air qual- tative analysis of these interviews generated ity indicators similar to those at East Valley. Quantifying a Relationship Between Place-based Learning and Environmental Quality 5 A different type of evidence of improved with a community group in Oakland, CA, for air quality was reported by a program at Exe- example, wrote letters to local government