Search

This report evaluates an environmental education in-service teacher training institute for middle and high school science teachers in North Carolina, entitled "Developing an Environmental Report Card". The four week, residential program was designed to prepare the 24 participating teachers to lead their students through a holistic assessment of their local environment. Several innovative aspects of the Institute, including its scope, content, local focus, and method of implementation, warrant its examination as a potential model for future, similar efforts. Evaluation data was collected using a variety of methods, including pre and post-tests, questionnaires, and interviews. The information collected was used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Institute's implementation as well as its outcomes during the subsequent school year. The results of the evaluation suggest that the Institute was successful at providing activities, resources, and information relevant to the participants' classroom teaching. The wide use of environmental professionals, throughout the Institute's implementation, provided the participants with a network of local and state level professional contacts to support their environmental education teaching. The evaluation also highlights the importance of providing the participants with an atmosphere in which they can exchange information and ideas among themselves. It further suggests that, at times, a lack of consistent focus for the Institute's activities may have detracted from its ability to provide the teachers with a systematic approach to the integration of environmental education in to their classes.