Environmental Approach to Education Studied

A new model for elementary school curriculum, based on environmental health science themes, is being developed to increase student achievement levels and teacher skills.

Baylor College of Medicine, in collaboration with North Forest Independent School District and the Harris County Department of Education, has received a seven-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to implement the program.

"Existing research has shown us that the environment works well as a theme around which to integrate instruction, and that this strategy can improve student performance," said project director Dr. Nancy Moreno, associate director of the Center for Educational Outreach at Baylor.

The program, known as "The Environment as a Context for Opportunities in Schools," will restructure the school district's first- through fourth-grade curricula around environmental themes.

"Quality hands-on, inquiry-centered, integrated science curricula are needed, especially at the elementary school level," said William Jones, executive director of the North Forest Independent School District Elementary Schools. "The proposed educational model will answer this need."

The first year of the program focuses on planning. The school district will implement the new curriculum at two schools each year, beginning in fall 2002. Six North Forest elementary schools are participating in this program.

Students in each grade level will study one environmental topic, such as air pollution, in great depth throughout the year. All class assignments, from reading to math, will be built around that theme, and will place special emphasis on issues that impact the Houston area.

"It makes a lot of sense," Moreno said. "If you give kids something that's a part of the world they live in, it's going to make their learning more interesting."

The curriculum will be designed to meet all state and national education standards and requirements. It will be accompanied by nationally tested and distributed teaching materials developed at Baylor through the "My Health My World" series. Once the curriculum is in place, the primary focus will shift to sustained professional development of North Forest elementary teachers. The program also provides valuable information for educational research.

"This is a great opportunity to document how innovative curricula and well-designed professional development impact student achievement," said Dr. Richard A. Griffin, consultant for school governance, Harris County Department of Education.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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