EcoSTARS: Increasing K-5 Student Learning in Environmental Education

Faculty and Education majors from the College of St. Catherine (CSC) have received $42,685 from the Jeffers Foundation to collaborate with the elementary schools of the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District (PLS) to develop a partnership to increase student learning in environmental education. In this innovative partnership, PLS teachers and CSC Education majors receive instruction in aspects of environmental education, such as the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) program. GLOBE is a worldwide hands-on, K-12 school-based environmental education and program. For students, GLOBE provides the opportunity to learn by: taking scientifically valid measurements in the fields of atmosphere, hydrology, soils, and land cover/phenology—depending upon their local curricula (there are approximately 40 measurements that can be taken by students); reporting their data through the Internet; publishing their research projects based on GLOBE data and protocols; creating maps and graphs on the free interactive Web site to analyze data sets; and collaborating with scientists and other GLOBE students around the world. CSC Education majors travel to PLS schools to help the teachers who are using this program with their students.