Journal of Science Policy & Governance | Volume 17, Issue 01 | September 30, 2020

Policy Memo: ​Standardizing Climate Education in New York State​

Ingrid J. Paredes, Steven Farrell, Omar Gowayed

New York University, Tandon School of Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Brooklyn, New York
Download PDF
https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG170118
Keywords: climate education; climate curriculum; schools; climate change; New York Senate; New York
Executive Summary: In July 2019, the New York State legislature signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act into law. The ambitious act sets targets to establish climate resiliency statewide through initiatives including reducing gas emissions, improving infrastructure, and providing job training. In response, several state senators have called for education reform to accordingly prepare the next generation for the climate crisis. We evaluate three climate education bills (S7341, S6837, and S6877) currently in committee in New York State. S7341, sponsored by Senator Andrew Gounardes and known as the Model Curriculum bill, proposes an environmental education curriculum for K-12 students. S6877, sponsored by Senator Rachel May and called the Regents Climate Amendment, makes recommendations to the Board of Regents on climate science in high school science classes. S6837, a Climate Education Grants Program sponsored by Senator Todd Kaminsky, provides support for teacher training and local climate resiliency projects. We examined these bills with respect to their effectiveness, administrative burden, and efficiency in the delivery of a climate education. We found the Model Curriculum bill to be the most effective way to educate and prepare students for the climate crisis. However, New York State must support educators with proper training and funding to provide quality climate education. We therefore recommend that the New York Senate pass the Model Curriculum bill and the Climate Education Grants Program.

-Read the full article through download.-
Do​wnload PDF

References

  1. ClimeTime. 2019. “Stressed Out Pikas Help Cascade High School Students Learn about Climate Science.” Accessed August 11, 2020. https://www.climetime.org/stressed-out-pikas-help-cascade-high-school-students-learn-about-climate-science/
  2. ClimeTime. 2020. “Climate Science Learning.” Accessed March 21, 2020. https://www.climetime.org/
  3. Cook, John, Naomi Oreskes, Peter T. Doran, William R. L. Anderegg, Bart Verheggen, Ed W. Maibach, J. Stuart Carlton, et al. 2016. "Consensus on Consensus: A Synthesis of Consensus Estimates on Human-Caused Global Warming." Environmental Research Letters 11, no. 4. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/4/048002​
  4. Galvin, Ray, and Noel Healy. 2020. "The Green New Deal in the United States: What It Is and How to Pay for It." Energy Research & Social Science 67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101529
  5. H.R. 109, 116th Cong. (2019). https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/109
  6. Hallar, A. Gannet, Ian B. McCubbin, and Jennifer M. Wright. 2011. "Change: A Place-Based Curriculum for Understanding Climate Change at Storm Peak Laboratory, Colorado." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 92, no. 7: 909-18. https://doi.org/10.1175/2011BAMS3026.1
  7. Hannah, A. Lee, and Danielle Christine Rhubart. 2019. "Teacher Perceptions of State Standards and Climate Change Pedagogy: Opportunities and Barriers for Implementing Consensus-Informed Instruction on Climate Change." Climatic Change 158, no. 3-4: 377-92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-019-02590-8
  8. Weis, Lois, Margaret Eisenhart, Kristin Cipollone, Amy E. Stich, Andrea B. Nikischer Andrea B. Nikischer, Jarrod Hanson, Sarah Ohle Leibrandt, Carrie D. Allen, Rachel Dominguez. 2015. " In the Guise of STEM Education Reform: Opportunity Structures and Outcomes in Inclusive STEM-Focused High Schools" American Education Research Journal 52, no. 6: 1024-105. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831215604045
  9. Masson-Delmotte, V., Panmao Zhai, Hans-Otto Pörtner, Debra Roberts, Jim Skea, Priyadarshi R. Shukla, Anna Pirani, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia, Clotilde Péan, Roz Pidcock, Sarah Connors, J. B. Robin Matthews, Yang Chen, Xiao Zhou, Melissa I. Gomis, Elisabeth Lonnoy, Tom Maycock, Melinda Tignor, and Tim Waterfield (eds.). 2019. “Global Warming of 1.5°C. IPCC Special Report 2018”. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/
  10. McNeill, Katherine L., and Meredith Houle Vaughn. 2010. "Urban High School Students’ Critical Science Agency: Conceptual Understandings and Environmental Actions around Climate Change." Research in Science Education 42, no. 2: 373-99. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ958369
  11. Meehan, Casey R., Brett L. M. Levy, and Lauren Collet-Gildard. 2018. “Global Climate Change in U.S. High School Curricula: Portrayals of the Causes, Consequences, and Potential Responses.” Science Education 102, no. 3: 498–528. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21338.
  12. Monroe, Martha C., Richard R. Plate, Annie Oxarart, Alison Bowers, and Willandia A. Chaves. 2017. "Identifying Effective Climate Change Education Strategies: A Systematic Review of the Research." Environmental Education Research 25, no. 6: 791-812. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1360842
  13. National Science Teaching Association. 2010. “NSTA Position Statement: Teaching Science and Technology in the Context of Societal and Personal Issues.” Last modified July 2016. Accessed March 21, 2020.
  14. https://www.nsta.org/about/positions/societalpersonalissues.aspx.
  15. New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. 2018. “Midway to 2030: Building Resiliency and Equity for a Just Transition.” NYC Climate Justice Agenda 2018. https://www.nyc-eja.org/nyc-climate-justice-agenda/
  16. “Next Generation Learning Standards”. New York State Department of Education. Accessed July 24, 2020. http://www.nysed.gov/next-generation-learning-standards.
  17. Plutzer, Eric, A. Lee Hannah, Joshua Rosenau, Mark S. McCaffrey, Minda Berbeco, and Ann H. Reid. 2016. “Mixed Messages: How Climate is Taught in America’s Schools.” Oakland, CA: National Center for Science Education. http://ncse.com/files/MixedMessages.pdf
  18. S. 6599, 2019-2020 Reg. Sess. (New York 2019). https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s6599
  19. S. 6837, 2019-2020 Reg. Sess. (New York 2019). https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s6837
  20. S. 6877, 2019-2020 Reg. Sess. (New York 2019). https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s6877
  21. S. 7341, 2019-2020 Reg. Sess. (New York 2020). https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s7341
  22. S.B. 6032, 65th Legislature, 2018 Reg. Sess. (Wash. 2017). S.B. 6032, 65th Legislature, 2018 Reg. Sess. (Wash. 2017). S.B. 720, 2017-2018 Reg. Sess. (Calif. 2018). https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB720
  23. The New York Equity Coalition. 2019.” The Gatekeepers: How school district policies can open or close the door for students to take advanced coursework”. The Education Trust-New York. https://equityinedny.edtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2019/11/Gatekeepers.pdf
  24. Union of Concerned Scientists. 2008. “Each Country's Share of CO2 Emissions.” Last modified May 11, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/each-countrys-share-co2-emissions​
Ingrid J. Paredes is a Ph.D. candidate in chemical engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering in Brooklyn, NY as a member of the Hybrid Nanomaterials Laboratory. The focus of her thesis research is the development of novel nanomaterial systems for clean energy technologies. She currently serves as co-chair of March for Science NYC.
 
Steven Farrell received his B.S and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry at New York University Tandon School of Engineering as a member of the Hybrid Nanomaterials Laboratory. He studies two-dimensional nanostructures and materials for sustainable catalysis applications and previously was a coordinator of NYU’s Science Policy and Diplomacy course. Additionally, he has coordinated the #StreamForScience digital event collaboration with March for Science NYC.
 
Omar Gowayed is a Ph.D. Candidate in Materials Chemistry at New York University Tandon School of Engineering, and currently serves as a co-chair of March for Science NYC. He specializes in Non-Photochemical Laser Induced Nucleation, a technique of shooting high powered lasers to induce phase changes in certain liquid materials. Although his research is with lasers, he teaches a vertical farming class called Urban Food Lab in which students run sustainability and farm focused mini-projects to learn about research and design while working on an aquaponic farm. He was also a coordinator of NYU's Science Policy and Diplomacy course.
DISCLAIMER: The findings and conclusions published herein are solely attributed to the author and not necessarily endorsed or adopted by the Journal of Science Policy and Governance. Articles are distributed in compliance with copyright and trademark agreements.

ISSN 2372-2193
ISSN 2372-2193