Place-Based+Education

= = =Place-Based Education = About This Wiki Definition of Place-Based Education History of Place-Based Education Research and Evaluations of PBE Community Structure and Impact on Decision to Include PBE Community Changes due to PBE Mentoring Examples of PBE Best Practices Funding Sources Links to Resources Policy and Legislation Relevant to PBE Action Opportunities = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
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 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Social Studies
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=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> About This Wiki = <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Purpose and Goal of this Wiki

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The purpose of this wiki is to serve as an educational starting point for people who are interested in place-based education and are looking for more information. We hope that this resource is beneficial to all- administrators, parents, teachers, students, and community members. This wiki was created for a Masters level Educational Reform course in July, 2010.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Status <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">As of October 4, 2010 this wikispace is in the final stages of editing and refinement. It currently serves as a working wikispace that we hope interested users will find helpful.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Authors <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The authors of this wikispace are graduate students in the Secondary MAC (Master of Arts with Certification) program at the University of Michigan. Our teaching areas are: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math, English, Social Studies, History, and Political Science.

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Definition of Place-Based Education =

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">A commonly accepted definition of place-based education was articulated by the Rural School and Community Trust in 2005 and endorsed by Smith and Sobel (2010) in their book on the subject:

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">"Place-based education is learning that is rooted in what is local---the unique history, environment, culture, economy, literature, and art of a particular place. The community provides the context for learning, student work focuses on community needs and interests, and community members serve as resources and partners in every aspect of teaching and learning. This local focus has the power to engage students academically, pairing real-world relevance with intellectual rigor, while promoting genuine citizenship and preparing people to respect and live well in any community they choose." (p.23)

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">We can parse this definition into key aspects of PBE:
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Rooted in the specific natural and human-created environment students live in
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Cuts across all academic subjects and invites interdisciplinary work
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Engages students in the community and the community in the education of students
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Simultaneously promotes academic, intellectual rigor and active, responsible citizenship

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Please explore our wiki further to read more about these key themes, explore many models of PBE implemented in various academic disciplines and community settings (rural, suburban, and urban), and find out how to take action on behalf of PBE or implement PBE in your own school!

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">﻿Reference ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Smith, G.A. & Sobel, D. (2010). //Place- and community-based education in schools.// New York, NY: Routledge.

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The History of Place-Based Education = <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Learning from the environment has been around for centuries, but the term was not coined until the early 1990’s. The term has further been defined by the Orion Society and The Center for Place-Based Education (Antioch University New England).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Place-based learning has had a long and changing history in the United States. Before the nineteenth century, the interrelations between school and community were natural and well understood. Yet, as schools formalized and urbanization expanded in the nineteenth century, the connect between community and school was lost. During the formalization, schools began to follow the urbanization models of grade levels, textbooks, and classroom exercises, and connection with the community was lost (School and Community Trust, 2000).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">While community connection was lost, hope for PBE was not. Progressive movements (often rooted in John Dewey’s ideals) sought curricula grounded in local roots. Progressives didn’t believe that school and community could be separate. Social and economic issues were part of schools and communities. Dewey believed curriculum should be rooted in place, engage students and promote democratic citizenship (Barnett, 2009).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In modern times, place-based education is slowly rising on the educational reform radar. As place-based programs across the nation show significant benefits in the classroom and community, place-based education is growing in support and popularity.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Refere﻿nce﻿s ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">School and Community Trust, Washington, DC., & Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA. Graduate School of Education. (2000). //Learning in place: A special report to the rural school and community trust//. Rural School and Community Trust, Publications Manager, 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 703, Washington, DC 20006 ($10). Retrieved from Click here for Document

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Barnett, S.A. (2009). //Place-based Education and Teaching about Marin County Birds: Curriculm Development for Teachers.// (Masters Thesis, Dominican University of California). http://www.dominican.edu/academics/education/seed/filestorage/barnettsharon.pdf

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Research and Evaluations of Place-based Education Programs =

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Expeditionary Learning Schools (ELS) program
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Finding True North: A Portrait of Two Schools in Rochester, New York

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In this study Woodfin (2004) evaluates two schools, Genesee and World of Inquiry School 58. Both of these schools have worked under the Expeditionary Learning Schools (ELS) program, which is a national school reform organization, since the early 2000s.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">As part of the ELS program the schools are committed to project-based, experiential learning, which is very much in the context of place-based education. The students’ learning revolves around projects in their community. One such project involved saving the aqueducts of their city, Rochester, from being permanently filled. The students researched the subject and worked toward a final professionally bound book appealing to the city to reconsider their plans for the aqueducts. The school achieved real results as the city awarded their efforts by appropriating $350,000 to come up with alternate proposals. Other culminating final projects take the form of field guides, children’s books and films.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Some of the successful, innovative practices include: <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">1) Unifying school activities (e.g. weekly, whole-school meetings; understanding of, and commitment to, the ELS program; use of a common vocabulary.) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">2) Teacher Support (e.g. demanding hiring process; transitional support from transitional to ELS program; initial training in program components; collaborative work; professional development, and; support with resources from ELS program).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The success of the above factors is evidenced by extremely low teacher attrition and teacher satisfaction with the running of the programs. Additional evidence success comes from student contentment with the program and the fact that they express disappointment and angst at the prospect of leaving their schools to continue to middle and high school. The reinforcing proof of success is the high achievement on national assessments. Finally what ensures and maintains the high quality standards of this program is that the administration refuses to be satisfied with its school's success, and seeks new ways of improvement.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Summary <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The LIONS program is an NSF-funded program coordinated by a local ecology center in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Coulter (2008) describes that this program was designed to provide students rich science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)-related place-based experiences in an out of school setting. The program was structured in partnership with the Missouri Botanical Garden, MIT, the Environmental Systems Research Institute, and incorporate expertise from American Forests (urban forestry), the Jane Goodall Institute (service learning), and PEER Associates (program evaluation). The program worked with partners in local public school districts and two private schools.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">There are interesting learnings from the challenges the LIONS program faced. Since it was conceived as an "out of school" project, teacher-partners were not identified until after funding was secured and the program was beginning to be implemented. The program managers then had repeated problems identifying "science leaders" from elementary and middle schools in the main partner districts -- many participants eventually recruited did not feel comfortable teaching science. In addition, year-to-year attrition of teachers from the program was significant. In the second year of the program, these challenges were addressed through extensive teacher training (one full week of intensive professional development).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Findings <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">LIONS outcomes were measured through teacher and student surveys at the beginning and end of their involvement in the program. The program has encountered administrative challenges with this, as they are often not notified until several weeks after a student left the program (or even the school). The surveys were therefore supplemented with focus group interviews of teachers and students. These surveys showed the following outcomes:


 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Increased teacher enthusiasm for teaching STEM disciplines
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">High levels of student engagement
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Increased value in project-based learning perceived by teachers
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Growing impact on in-class teaching practice
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Desire for more professional development in both STEM and pedagogy

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Funding <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Grant from the National Science Foundation Academies for Young Scientists program. See our Funding Sources section for more information on current potential sources of funding for PBE programs.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> An Evaluation of Four Place-Based Education Programs
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Summary <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In this article Powers (2004) describes that the Place-Based Education Evaluation Collaborative (PEEC) is evaluating place-based education models and whole school improvement in order to invest in their development. Four programs were analyzed based on their strengths and challenges: Two were whole school improvement models (CO-SEED and the Sustainable Schools Project (SSP), and two were professional development programs (Community Mapping Program (CMP) and A Forest for Every Classroom (FFEC). Teacher practices were also evaluated in each program.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Findings <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Process strengths
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Programs that had community partners, especially due to ability of these partners to provide resources, funding and facilities.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">High quality program staff
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Demonstrated skills in process facilitation, teaching, child development, curriculum planning, and meeting management as well as more practical skills such as mapping with geographic positioning systems, gardening, computer skills and forestry practices.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Successful programs had specific staff with the role of facilitating community organizations and the teachers who implement the PBE programs.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Program sustainability
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Most were confident that the programs would have ‘staying power’;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Summer institutes promote ongoing, sustained relationship with community organizations which allows for consistency of relationships with the community and promotes confidence on behalf of the organizations that working with schools is beneficial.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Program Challenges (External & Internal)
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Lack of time to devote to change in the midst of extra-curricular pressures;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Too much time creating and preparing for the project than actually engaging in it (whereas it is much simpler to learn from the textbook albeit perhaps less effective) may warrant change in the design of the particular PBE programs.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Note:
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">A whole school improvement model, rather than programs on a class-by-class basis, may improve challenges by making planning more efficient;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Evaluators suggest development of part-time positions dedicated to PBE planning;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Professional development models seem more effective at providing participating students with specific practical skills.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teacher Practice improvements
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Increases in use of local place and resources;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teaching more depth;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Increase of interdisciplinary teaching;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Increased relevance of material to students;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teacher collaboration within and between schools;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teaming;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teacher leadership;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Stronger curriculum planning skills;

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Emergent Findings of Benefits of Place-Based Education Programs:
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">PBE beneficial for students with special needs;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Impact on motivation and engagement of students;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">More independent working;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Better relationships between youth and adults;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Sensory activities;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students learn better when it is for a purpose;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Retention of information and knowledge;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Change in student behavior and attitude;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Increased turnout of after-school activities.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Promise of Place
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Summary <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The [|Promise of Place website] is a public-private partnership of several nonprofit organizations and place-based education projects that works to consolidate information about place-based education and promote its advantages. They summarize the research on PBE outcomes in terms of the impact on students, teachers, and community ([]):

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Findings <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Student Motivation and Achievement
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Increased enthusiasm for learning motivated by increased relevance to students' daily life
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Increases in standardized test scores and GPA across subject areas
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Improved classroom behavior, pride and ownership in academic work, self esteem, social skills, and problem solving skills

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">As the principal of [|an elementary school involved in a PBE environmental education program] explains:

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">“One thing we know is that kids’ writing is much more interesting, complex, and detailed if they’ve had rich experience…The current first grade has about a third of the kids who didn’t have kindergarten here and in general it is breathtaking the difference in the academic achievement.” <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">– Principal, CO-SEED Young Achievers School

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teacher Motivation and Growth
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Increased excitement due to developing original curriculum and increased engagement with students
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Increased use of local resources for teaching and learning
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Better collaboration with other educators -- across subject areas and institutions
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Increased professional growth and greater desire to participate in additional PBE training opportunities

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">School and Community Improvement

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Place-based education projects have a large variety of tangible positive impacts on the schools in which they are located and their surrounding communities. Examples profiled on this wiki include:


 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Collecting, analyzing, and presenting local economic data to community businesses
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Building stronger connections between students and individual community members through mentoring
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Creating cement animal track imprints in an educational display at a new National Forestry building

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Learn More

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Promise of Place research summary includes [|a bibliography] of key PBE research findings and [|searchable database] of PBE research.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Graduate Student Commentary
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The above programs demonstrate that there are many benefits to be enjoyed from Place-Based Education programs such as increased engagement, increased motivation and relevancy to name a few. However, in order for these programs to work, teacher support is required through training and provision of resources including funding but also staff dedicated specifically to planning and organizing activities. Programs also seem to function best when teachers collaborate and work with the understanding that the PBE program must be applied. In other words, there must not be an option of whether or not a teacher might apply these programs on a classroom-by-classroom basis, but rather there needs to be a unified effort in order to enjoy the full benefits of these programs. It also appears beneficial to get the students on board by informing them about the program and its purposes. Furthermore, it seems helpful to create activities/rituals that unify the students and get them to believe in the purposes of the program: This allows students to understand that they are all commonly working toward a high quality education and a successful future. This also helps in the execution of the program. Thus, PBE seems to offer many benefits, however it must be implemented correctly and with sufficient teacher support in order to function properly.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">﻿References **

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Coulter, B. (year unknown, probably 2008). //LIONS: Making after school spatial.// Retrieved July 26, 2010 from http://www.scdhec.gov/gis/presentations/ESRI_Conference_08/educ/papers/pap_1062.pdf

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Powers, A.L. (2004). An evaluation of four place-based education programs. //The Journal of Environmental Education//, 35(4), 17-30.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Promise of Place. (2010). //Research//. Retrieved July 26, 2010 from http://promiseofplace.org/Research_Evaluation/research.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Woodfin, L. (2004). Finding true north: A portrait of two schools in Rochester, New York. //Schools: Studies in Education//, 6(2), 187-206.

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Community Structure and Impact on the Decision to Include PBE =

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Before schools initiate place-based education programs into their curriculum, much attention needs to be placed on the community, especially its organization. Place-based education programs cannot work successfully unless community members take an active interest in the school and are well informed about local reform issues. Communities do play a very important role in students’ educational success. For instance, when communities partner with local schools, students grades not only improve, but students are more likely to enjoy school more and, therefore, stay in school longer (Henderson & Mapp, 2002).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> William Julius Wilson (1996), a sociologist, argued that community organization was important for adolescent behavior, school performance, and school achievement. When a community was close-knit, students had adult supervision. This meant that neighbors, community elders, and the child’s parents, all monitored the students' behavior and made sure that socially approved actions and behaviors were completed. Therefore, the child was more likely to go to school, to stay in school and get good grades, since any deviation from these normal activities would likely result in punishment. Given the importance of an organized and close community, it seems like Wilson believes that it really does take a village to raise a child. On the other hand, when a community is disorganized and spread apart, fewer neighbors are available to monitor a child’s behavior. There is likely no penalty for missing school or failing a class, since the chances of a guardian or parent finding out may be very slim. In this type of community, adolescents form their own community, with behavioral norms and attitudes that may differ significantly from the larger society. For example, adolescents may find drug taking, dropping out of school, and joining a gang all normal behaviors. According to Wilson, the community structure has a huge effect on student achievement and future success.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Communities also influence the establishment of place-based programs in rural towns. Place-based education programs are essential for students to make connections with potential bosses as well as locating a specific job and skill they liked. It was also used as a way for students to become active members in the community and learn about local businesses. However, in some instances, community leaders might reject the idea of place-based education programs during financially troubled times. Despite the benefits of the program, if the local community does not support the idea, the program can not be established (Plumb, 2003).

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">﻿References ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Henderson, A.T., & Mapp, K.L. (2002). //A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connections on student achievement.// Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Retrieved from []

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Plumb, S. (2003, October). //The potential power of place in education: An evaluation of the Northeast community mapping program.// [Online forum post]. Retrieved from []

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Wilson, W. J. (1996). //When work disappears: The world of the new urban poor//. New York, NY: Author.

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Community Changes Due to Place-Based Education =

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Once initiated and implemented, place-based education programs have positive effects on the community. According to Powers (2004), successful place-based education programs will “improve a community’s environmental quality and social and economical vitality” (p. 17). Although not much research has been conducted, I have gathered information from multiple sources and identified four community benefits due to PBE.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The first benefit is that through place-based education, community members and students are able to build a strong relationship. By working one-on-one with students, community members begin to have a more positive perception of adolescents. Business leaders and community individuals become mentors, friends, and teachers to the students. In addition, community members become future networks for the students. Once strong ties are formed, business owners and community leaders begin to become more informed about local educational issues and school problems. Specifically, individuals from the community become more invested in fixing and providing funds for the school (Powers, 2004).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Secondly, when the community is an active participant in implementing place-based education programs, important community issues and problems are more likely to be addressed. Students are able to work on projects that really affect the outcome of a community, as well as have real value to the success of a community. For example, in a small, poor town in South Dakota, one local high school decided to track the spending of money within their communities. This required the students to set up an action committee where they would learn and understand how community money was spent. In order to do this, students worked on an economic analysis. Once their data were collected, the group of students held a public presentation. This presentation informed local community members on what was happening. Their presentation had an effect on local businesses, who, after realizing the truth about how money was being spent, changed their spending patterns and behaviors to prevent any more spending of resources and money to businesses outside of the community (Powers, 2004).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Thirdly, place-based education programs can create a strong sense of community and pride. People begin to feel more comfortable with each other, respect one another, and work together to help the school and the community. Students are encouraged to find out more about local history and have a curiosity towards learning about the community in general (Flood, 1994).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Lastly, because students work in the community, they learn how to become active leaders in the community and how to create real change. This is because place-based education allows students to learn about the community's history and the structure of the government, as well as become informed on local policies and issues. Place-based education leads to a “culturally literate community that is more informed about, and more openly able to discuss, local ecological, environmental and social issues” (Plumb, 2003, p. 39).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Up until now, we have briefly described how place-based education programs affect the local community. However, these programs also have a positive influence on the relationship between parent and student. Through place-based education, parent and student communication improves at home. When learning activities are paired with service-learning programs, students tend to show a greater interest in completing the activity. Because students are more interested in the activities they participated in during school, they are more likely to share what they learned at home. When discussing place-based education activities at home, students have the ability to encourage their family and friends to take a more active role in local issues (Plumb, 2003).

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">﻿﻿References **

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Flood, P.S. (1994). Maine students learn to appreciate diversity. //NASSP Bulletin//, 78, 30-33. doi:10.1177/019263659407856406

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Plumb, S. (2003, October). //The potential power of place in education: An evaluation of the Northeast community mapping program.// [Online forum post]. Retrieved from http://www.peecworks.org/PEEC/PEEC_Research/S0009D4DB-0009D4DE

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Powers, A.L. (2004). An evaluation of four place-based education programs. //The Journal of Environmental Education//, 35(4): 17-32.

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Mentoring = <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">While not automatically a part of place-based education, mentors can be important resources in PBE. Typically, mentors are used to provide individual instruction, inspiration, and encouragement for students. They can be extremely valuable for all students but especially for "at risk" students in a community who need individual attention - such as those in the Communities in Schools program. As successful members of the community, they bring their maturity, experience, and practical as well as academic expertise to the school - for example, mentors in the Connecting Generations program could do this. Hence, students see practical applications for the curriculum in their surroundings and place a greater value on education in general. Under the mentor's tutelage, students can master skills which will prepare them to be effective participants and contributors in their community - which is a possibility for those in Big Brothers Big Sisters.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Place-based education is also served by mentors who assist students interested in independent, in-depth research of specific topics related to their community - which is a possibility for those in Big Brothers Big Sisters. They can serve as primary sources for the students - such as those participating in Connecting Generations. For example, mentors are the best teachers of local history and government. They can conduct tours of important historical sites, provide access to city council meetings and court proceedings, etc. - activities which those in Big Brothers Big Sisters can participate in. Mentors can teach students about local industries and businesses utilizing on-site facilities. They can inform career choices by arranging job shadowing opportunities - which mentors in Connecting Generations or Big Brothers Big Sisters could arrange. Mentors can instruct students about local resources and conservation efforts by taking students to study the unique topography of their region. Depending on the expertise of the mentors, they can invite students to participate in local religious and community organizations - which is also possible for those in Big Brothers Big Sisters. Finally, mentors can teach students about their local environment, thereby creating a sense of community, identity and belonging that is instrumental in a successful society.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">What is especially nice about these programs is that they are already organized; an individual can contact them to join and start helping to develop place-based education in their communities right away. Of course, to really incorporate PBE in a school, everyone in the school and community needs to put forth an effort, but these mentor programs allow individuals to start making a difference while the school and community prepare themselves.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Big Brothers Big Sisters
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Big Brothers Big Sisters is a nonprofit mentoring organization whose goal is to create caring and supportive relationships between children (ages 6 to 18) and their volunteer mentors. It was started in 1904 and provides services across the U.S. It works by having a trained professional pair a child with a mentor. The pair then meet for about 1hr/week outside of school for fun activities (Community-based Mentoring) or they meet once a week in school (School-based Mentoring).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Results:


 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">A 1992-3 study by Public/Private Ventures showed that children in the program were:
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">27% less likely to begin using alcohol
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">52% less likely to skip school
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">37% less likely to skip a class more confident of their performance in schoolwork
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">one-third less likely to hit someone
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">getting along better with their families

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">For the full study go to <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In general, the program has proven most effective in preventing drug abuse, especially among minority children.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (2008). //Big brothers big sisters//. Retrieved from []

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Communities in Schools:
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Communities in schools is a drop out prevention and intervention program that occurs after school. It involves school staff, volunteers, and students that are at risk for dropping out of school. The program has been occurring for the past 30 years in efforts to mentor at risk students. For more information on the programs in the 27 states that are involved, visit []

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Program Specifics: <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">During the program, each child is evaluated for what kind of help he/she needs, but specific programs vary from place to place. Services are offered to approximately 2.3 million students each year and is funded through donations and grants.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Here are some examples of different kinds of services provided:


 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">after school activities focusing on math, reading, writing, science/technology, social studies, and the arts
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">in-school mentoring which may be coupled with online mentoring
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">homework clubs
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">providing school clothes/uniforms
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">eye exams and glasses
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">access to health-care information
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">information about colleges, scholarships, and careers

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References **

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Communities in Schools Inc. (2010). //Communities in schools.// Retrieved from http://www.cisnt.org/

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Connecting Generations
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Connecting Generations is a mentoring program in which the goal is to help adults (especially those over the age of 50) to pass on their experiences and life lessons to children. The children, in turn, are taught to respect and appreciate their elders. It began in Delaware in 1990 and involves:


 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In-school mentoring (Program title: Creative Mentoring)
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In-class workshop series for 5th graders (Program title: Seasons of Respect)
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Workshops for adults, especially those who are in the process of retiring, in which they learn how to assess their life experiences and lessons and how to plan for a rewarding future (Program title: Creative Transitions)

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The program currently has over 1,000 volunteer mentors and over 9,000 people have used the training program.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Connecting Generations (2010). //Welcome to connecting generations.// Retrieved from []

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Examples of PBE =

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Art City
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Summary <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">For those who reside in the small community of Springfield, Utah, art has become a main source for educating students about local history and their community. For this to work, teachers and community artists have joined together, sharing the responsibility for the education of Springfield’s youth. It is a common belief in Springfield that a child must know, appreciate, and understand the history of the community before becoming an active member in that community (Gray & Black, 2007). <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> The art museum provides lessons for any students K-12. In the elementary school, students learn how to create a collage of personal life in Springfield. Using a local artist’s collage as an example, students are able to make connections between their own stories and those of the artist. At the same time, young students learn about the tradition of quilt making in Springfield, as well as visualize the history of Springfield by examining different collages. What seems like an art project, where children use symbols to make a collage, is really a lesson in building cultural and ethnic identities. As children mentally plan their collage “they physically assemble images and symbols of their own lives, families, and community, [and] they bring their cultural and ethnic identity into clearer focus” (Gray & Black, 2007, pp. 279-280). <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> For middle school aged students, landscape and self-portrait paintings are considered the essential tools in learning and understanding history. Students walk through the museum with their educators and peers, and silently take in the vast amount of pictures representing home life. Whether it is a picture of the desert, or just a child on a bicycle, the children are able to relate to the paintings. After each viewing, museum educators provide historical accounts to the children, as well as ask them to closely examine and discuss the ways in which the artists use “colors, lines, textures, and space in sharing the land in both visual and emotional ways” (Gray & Black, 2007 p. 281). Incorporating history and art into one lesson provides the student with the ability to visualize the community throughout history, while also relating to the painting on a personal level.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Academic Impact / Ties to Standards <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">This program includes four academic impacts: promoting the whole child, learning about history and land, developing and expressing creative thought, and becoming a knowledgeable local and global community member. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> When describing what it means to educate the whole child, one must first understand that “young people are part of schools, their families, towns, streets, fields, and local landscapes” (Gray & Black, 2007, p. 278). To educate a child, one must incorporate the community into the school. When children go to the art museum and look at different paintings of landscapes, they are examining art that is familiar to them, for it has meaning in their lives. The children can relate to the landscapes, because they have been there themselves. Talking to and sharing ideas about the artwork with classmates and museum employees provide an education for the whole child. The children use art and their personal stories to understand their culture, and identity within a community. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> The museum in Springfield is a place where local and state history is kept preserved and remembered. Paintings depict the hardships of the early settlers, and portray historical traditions common in the community. At the local museum, children are able to discuss and view the works of art and get a sense of the history. However, at home, students are encouraged to learn more through interviews with parents, grandparents and neighbors. As the article states, “the museum preserves the history; museum education personalizes it” (Gray & Black, 2007, p. 280). <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Not only does the museum provide an historical account of Springfield through art, but it also expands creative thinking. Art has the ability to “provide direct experiences that encourage students to create knowledge rather than merely to consume knowledge that others provide” (Gray & Black, 2007, p. 282). Students write narratives, short stories, and poetry, based on the art they viewed and their personal experiences. In addition, students are able to understand how much or little has changed in their own community, and what circumstances cause change to take place. In the end, students studied, conversed, and created their own art, while also learning about the history of their community. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Lastly, this place-based program prepares students for the responsibility they will have as future local and global community members. Students use art to express social identity and social impact, as well as to learn how to make a difference using various expressions of art. In one art class in the area, students designed storyboards and scripts for a PSA that supported a conservation campaign. Throughout their education, students participated in, and learned, that they could wield significant influence over the direction and quality of community life.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Assessment <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The outcomes were measured through group discussion and participation in the community. It was important for students to be able to incorporate art, personal experiences, and historical references in order to learn how to become active community members. The outcome of this project was that “via the museum, former generations are remembered and current generations are nurtured and educated” (Gray & Black, 2007, p. 285). Today, citizens of Springfield "know their heritage- including history, geography, lifestyle, education, and art" and are able to give a personal account of what that history means to his or her own lives (Gray & Black, 2007, p. 277).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Funding <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Grants and donations were mentioned as being the source of funding, but the total amount of financing was never mentioned in the article.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">﻿References ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Gray, S.R., & Black, S. (2007). Welcome to Art City: Place-based education through a local museum. //The Museum Journal//, 50(3), 277-286.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Summary of example approach <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In this article, an example of participatory public art is explored in Frederick, Maryland. The example is called the Community Bridge project, and can be further investigated at ([]). This artwork was created by American artist William Cochran who designed the renovation of the bridge based on the ideas contributed by the community of what should be included in the final design. In this way the artwork of the bridge represents the multifaceted identities of the surrounding community in one art piece and thereby demonstrates unity. Stephens (2006) suggests that schools should use participatory art projects such as this to engage students in meaningful, relevant learning that revolves around the community. Stephens also promotes the development of a collaborative relationship between the students and the community. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Academic Impact / Ties to Standards
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Relevant, real-life learning;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Socialization;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Engagement;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Higher order thinking in order to develop ideas;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Development of intellectual character;
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Increased feelings of civic and community responsibility.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Graduate student's thoughts on the article <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">This was an interesting article, which spoke of using participatory art as a way to unify a community. I do not believe Stephens was explicit enough about how schools and the community could work together to collaborate in such a way. This project was not actually the product of students and the community but of community members in general. Stephens mentioned a school in Virginia, which was following Cochran’s idea ([]) of participatory art but she did not explain how they planned to do this or the nature of the project. In general, the idea she explains is a good one but more information is needed as to how to do it.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Stephens, P.G. (2006). A Real Community Bridge: Informing community-based learning through a model of participatory public art. //Art Education,// 59(2), 40-46.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Summary <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The purpose of this program is to bring "students together so they can better understand why they are different and why they are the same" (Flood, 1994, p. 30). In this program, middle school students (6-8 grade level) learn about Maine by camping out and exploring the geography. Through the program, the students learn about themselves, the history of Maine and Maine’s diverse populations (Flood, 1994).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Academic Impact / Ties to Standards <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">For students in the sixth grade, the program designs a curriculum that encourages learning through a variety of activities. These activities include mapping, a slide show connecting Maine’s history and present, a tour of the town on a bus, a study of local cemeteries and review of various families’ genealogy. In addition to these activities, students take a day hike to a pond in order to learn about the wetlands, study survival skills and learn about the influence of Mt. Katahdin on Native Americans. Also, students are taken to a local museum where Native American volunteers describe their lifestyles, traditions and culture (Flood, 2004). In the sixth grade, teachers do their best to ensure students learn all about and appreciate local geography and Native American culture, in order to increase "community pride, curiosity, and excitement about Orrington" (Flood, 1994, p. 31).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In the seventh grade, students set out on a three-day camping trip where they visit and learn about local places. Accompanying students on the camping trip are teachers and community volunteers who work together to plan classes, lectures and learning experiences. On this camping trip, it is expected that students learn about leadership, self-reliance, self-confidence and form a deeper understanding and admiration of Maine and all its diverse residents (Flood, 1994).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In the eighth grade, students embark on a camping trip to the Cobscook Bay area in early May for three days and two nights. During the trip, students learn about the area, as well as visit local plants and stations. In addition to the tours, students are given lessons on each place they visit. Students enroll in classes that teach them about orienteering, art, music, first aid, science and rescue skills.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Lastly, middle school students participate in a program that provides them with the knowledge of Maine’s cultural diversities, "that makes students aware of geography and its effects on the past, present, and future" (Flood, 1994, p. 31). The program includes four Maine middle schools, each one located in a different part of Maine (an average of 400 miles apart), and therefore, representing a different culture. Instead of camping out, students learn about the cultural diversities in Maine through field trips to the other participating schools, teacher exchanges, workshops, swapping videos, letters, and photographs with other Maine students. The point of this program is for students to learn, understand and respect numerous cultures, as well as for them to “appreciate their likenesses and differences, and shatter stereotypes” (Flood, 1994, p. 32). One important lesson for students to learn is that “language, fashions, hobbies, customs, and ideas differ, they differ for a reason- often related to geography” (Flood, 1994, p. 32). In this program, students teach others about their backgrounds and traditions, and they learn about the traditions and lifestyles of others.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Assessment <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The outcomes are for students to learn, understand, and appreciate their local community as well as the state of Maine. In addition, students learned about the diversity of the population of Maine, and why such differences exist. These outcomes were measured from what was written in journals that students kept throughout the three years. These journals included personal comments, opinions and ideas, as well as observations. The article did not mention sources of funding.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Flood, P.S. (1994). Maine students learn to appreciate diversity. //NASSP Bulletin//, 78: 30-33. doi: 10.1177/019263659407856406

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Media College Preparatory High School
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In the late 1980s, Fremont High School in Oakland, California developed the Media Academy after finding how successful their journalism classes were. The journalism teachers "believed that exposure to occupations in the field of media and the opportunity to produce award-winning school publications could provide incentives for alienated black and Hispanic students to stay in school" (Smith, 1989, p.38). In 1986, the Media Academy became a school within a school, enrolling 50 sophomore high school students. In 2003, Fremont High School was broken down into three different schools and the Media Academy became the Media College Preparatory High School.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Curriculum/Organization <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">According to Smith (1989), when it was still the Media Academy, there were certain journalism classes in addition to core curriculum classes. The ultimate goal of the Academy was to have students invest in their own learning by seeing that their education could be put to practical use. Thus, the newspapers, radio shows, and other productions were the main form of assessment and students could see their improvement over time. Over the course of the three year program, the students took various writing-intensive courses, learning skills that would assist them in particular tasks (such as interviewing, editing, etc). In addition to their work appearing in school productions, students were also afforded opportunities to share their work with the larger community via local newspapers (English and Spanish), radio broadcasts, and television news broadcasts. To this end, the teachers brought in many local experts (particularly those of minority backgrounds) to both share their stories as well as teach classes. Students also participated in journalism conferences around the country.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> As mentioned above, the journalism classes were only part of the Media Academy curriculum. Although students still took core classes, these classes were designed to relate directly to their journalistic projects. For example, "...lessons in English and history often draw on skills being developed in journalism, as when an assignment related to the study of Julius Caesar required composing newspaper accounts of events that led to Caesar's assassination" (Smith, 1989, p. 39).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> In 2003, when the Academy became its own high school, it continued much on the same course as before, offering core classes and media-intensive classes.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">A section of the online edition of the student newspaper, the Green and Gold, Feb. 2010.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Standards and Assessment <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">According to the school's website, their current goals are: "...for the entering freshmen to do well on the SAT9 test, for graduates to meet the requirements for entrance to the University of California, and to be conversational in Spanish" ("Media Preparatory High School," 2010). Furthermore, "We want our graduates to have a thorough understanding of media and be proficient in print, radio, TV and web design" ("Media Preparatory High School," 2010).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> In order to move up a grade level, students must have a certain amount of credits. Each semester, they are expected to take ten credits; ultimately, they must have a minimum of 230 credits in order to graduate. These range across all subjects, from the core classes to multicultural studies to physical education to electives. As it is a college preparatory school, students can either complete a senior project to graduate or take approved college courses. Finally, the students must also pass California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) (Media Preparatory High School, 2010).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Community Involvement <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The community is involved in different aspects of the school. For example, community members involved professionally in the media contribute knowledge and expertise via teaching and field trips. They also provide a public venue for students to showcase their work on television, in print, and on the radio. Community members allow themselves to become part of the students' journalistic process: allowing themselves to be interviewed for various projects. The high school sees community support and encouragement as vital components of academic achievement, noting that students take greater pride in their work when members of the community notice and praise it ("Media Preparatory High School," 2010). In turn, the students are careful to report on issues that are relevant to the community, also making sure to write about complex issues in ways that the whole community can understand. This means overcoming various levels of education and language barriers.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References **

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Media College Preparatory High School (2010). Retrieved June 10, 2010, from[| http://media-academy.net/index.htm]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Smith, G.A. (1989). The media academy: Engaging students in meaningful work. //Educational Leadership//, 46(5), 38-39.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Rural Roots
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In the Rural Roots article mentioned on the wikispace page about science examples, Tillamook Junior High School in Tillamook, Oregon is discussed. After the extensive, long-term logging project with the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODOF), TJHS again got involved with the ODOF in the creation of a new building. In order to leave a lasting, teaching impact on the community, the students beautified the new landscape through the creation of cement animal tracks of native animals in the area. The students first researched about animal and tracks, then applied math skills to calculate density, volume, hardening rate, and area to create the cement imprints of tracks (Loveland, 2003). The students found that being involved in the community and leaving a noticeable impact was really important to them. The students were excited to learn through a task that would leave their own lasting footprint on the community for years to come.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References﻿ **

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Loveland, E. (2003). Achieving academic goals through place-based learning: Students in five states show how to do it. //Rural Roots//, 4(1), 6-11.

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<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Science
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Youth Network for Healthy Communities
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">About

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Youth Network for Healthy Communities is a place-based learning project that spans all of the districts of Washington state. It was founded and is funded by the University of Washington and is led by the teachers of various disciplines in the participating schools. The object of this K-12 program is to engage students in scientific research and problem solving for issues specific to their own communities (Sedlacek, Acharya, Botta, & Burbacher, 2005, p. 44).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Curriculum/Organization <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The program begins with the teacher introducing the project to his/her students and then brainstorming with the students to find a specific issue in their own community that they would be interested in researching. After the issue or problem has been chosen, the students begin a 4-6 week research period which consists of reading traditional sources like journals, books, studies, and reports as well as conducting their own research into their own communities by visiting sites and interviewing community members (Sedlacek et al., 2005).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Once they have compiled all of their research, the students begin to construct a two-hour presentation that they will present via video conference to other participating schools as well as a panel of experts from the University of Washington. After they complete their presentation (which can incorporate skits, mock trials, etc), the students participate in a question and answer session in which they defend their work (much as graduate students do a thesis). They also have the opportunity to ask the experts questions they would like answered.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Among the benefits of this learning project are: development of research and critical thinking skills, social/group work skills, and practical skills (researching local issues and using problem-solving skills to help solve these issues). Furthermore, the project brings together university professors, students, teachers, and community members to investigate local health issues.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Assessment <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">It is not known how each teacher evaluates students’ participation in this project or how this program is incorporated into the class structure or grading schema. Following the final presentations, both students and teachers evaluate their experiences, highlighting positive aspects as well as suggesting ways to improve the program in the future.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Sedlacek, N., Young, J.A., Acharya, C., Botta, D., & Burbacher, T.M. (2005) Linking the classroom to the community. //The Science Teacher//, 72(4), 44-45.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> High School Ecology
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> About <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In 2005, Olivia Griset, a high school science teacher in rural Lisbon, Maine, developed and offered a one-semester ecology elective course. As an elective, the course was not required to meet state science standards; however, it did meet national science standards. Griset (2010) organized the course to cover three specific units: (1) the study of ecology/nature, (2) aquatic ecology and pollution management, and (3) forest ecology and management. All three are place-based. In unit one, students explored and studied the land around their school. In the second unit, they investigated aquatic ecology through their town’s streams and learned about the specific types of pollution that impact them. Unit three focused on forest ecology and management—a big issue as the local economy is based on forestry and sawmills.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Curriculum/Organization <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Griset’s school used block scheduling: her ecology class met every other day, for 80 minutes each day. Typically, students spent the first day of the week inside, learning relevant scientific concepts and preparing for their subsequent fieldwork. They spent the next few classes outside in unit-specific locales (land plots, streams, forests), observing, taking notes in their journals, and gathering data. Following the fieldwork sessions, the students would spend another day indoors, analyzing their data, writing reports, and taking assessments (tests and quizzes). Furthermore, Griset encouraged her students to evaluate their personal connection to the land through a variety of activities. Among the most successful activities were:

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 1) Sense of place: This activity was used as introduction to land management. Students examined the impact humans have had on land over time by drawing a picture of a meaningful place from their childhood. They then drew illustrations depicting how the same place looks now and examined the factors of change.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 2) Land-Water connections: Students conduct an experiment to investigate the impact of a pollutant on plant growth.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 3) Forest Inventory Growth Plots: The students formed small land plots for their study of trees. Local foresters taught students how they determine the economic and ecological value of the trees. The students used these criteria to measure the value of the trees in their plots, collecting the data, and comparing it to data around the state. The students then worked with the foresters to develop a forest managing service plan.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 4) Role playing: Using knowledge gained from their fieldwork, students engaged in a mock debate about a real life controversy: Should the town allow commercial development around the local forests and lakes? This activity required researched arguments, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Community Involvement/Impact <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Aside from research and fieldwork, the course had a substantial service-learning component in which the students utilize their knowledge to either develop a plan for or to actually take action on a local environmental issue. The class chose their own issue to address, and to Griset’s surprise, enthusiastically did so. Some examples of their service-learning activities include: Instituting and running a school-wide recycling system; auditing the school’s paper usage and preparing recommendations on how to save paper; collecting soil samples and meeting with scientists to determine the levels of contamination and possible treatment procedures. Some of the projects were interdisiciplinary and school-wide, such as the garden project. Ecology students, together with students from health, technology, art and social studies classes designed and planted a school garden.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Assessment <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Griset used assessment tools that would allow her to observe and assess her students’ progress over time. The main methods of assessment were the students' personal field journals (in which they recorded their observations), their lab logbooks of experiments and lab reports, class presentations, and traditional exams.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Griset, Olivia. (2010). Meet us outside! //The Science Teacher,// 77(2), 40-46.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Stream Project: Noble High School
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">At Noble High School in rural Berwicke, Maine, the science curriculum brings together ninth graders and tenth graders to work together on place-based environmental projects. According to a report by the Rural School and Community Trust (2000), the Berwicke area is poor, with most of the residents employed at various factories or seasonally in the tourist industry ten miles away on Maine’s southern coast. Because the town economy was largely based on unskilled labor, education was a low priority. In order to redress this problem, the Rural Trust organization restructured the town’s high school curriculum to core and advanced classes as well as “interdisciplinary project planning and collaborative assignments” (p. 27) that require students from ninth and tenth grade to work together in teams. The objective of the project-based learning is to provide students with practical applications for their knowledge.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Curriculum/Organization <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Each class period at Noble High School is 80 minutes long and, because the course is a year long, there is ample time for students to complete the many projects. As reported by the Rural School and Community Trust (2000), the 9th grade science curriculum is entirely project-based. Students work through six large projects that are comprised of a number of individual and group tasks and products. Each project is outlined for students at the beginning, providing them with the essential questions that will guide their inquiry into the subject, a list of goals or intended outcomes, and how the project meets state mandated standards.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Stream Project is the first project of the year. The students study a local stream in order to understand the role of water in their lives as well as to the environment. The project is broken down into nine intensive assignments that, together, account for the first eight weeks of the school year. Briefly, these assignments are:

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 1) Water Cycle Diagram (a role-playing game: students pretend to be water molecules traveling in a water cycle. They must then diagram and explain the cycle.) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 2) Groundwater Exploration (class examines what happens to water as it travels through groundwater systems) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 3) Visual Survey and Habitat Inventory of the local stream <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 4) Stream Guide Contribution (students create a guide to the stream’s living things in the stream how they are impacted by pollution) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 5) Chemical Analysis of local stream (collect/test water samples; learn to interpret results) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 6) Freshwater Ecosystem Map or Diagram <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 7) Design, Write-up, and Presentation of Stream Investigation (students choose one aspect of the stream that interests them, investigate further, share findings with the class) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 8) Community Contribution (Class decides how to share knowledge with the community) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 9) Stream Project Portfolio (organize all stream project work into one portfolio)

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> The Stream Project culminates in “real work—designing a water purification system” (p. 29) and a final project portfolio consisting of all of their work. The students divide into groups and are given a rubric for what their system should do and how it will be tested. They keep thorough notes about each design and trial (such as what materials and procedures they used, time records, etc) which they use later in presentations to convince their classmates that their system is the best.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Assessment <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Rather than a traditional A-F letter scale, Noble High School utilizes a five level scale (p. 29): Distinguished, Advanced, Proficient, Novice, and No Credit. In this particular course, students are required to achieve, at minimum, the Proficient level. Students are given the rubrics for all of their assignments at the beginning of the project so that they use them to guide their work. The teachers use the same rubrics to grade each assignment, often allowing students to revise and improve their work throughout the project. The final assessment is not an exam but each student’s individual portfolio. These consist of the final (and revised) versions of their assignments as well as a table of contents, an introduction, reflective writing pieces, and a conclusion in which they summarize what they have learned.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Standards <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">As of 2000, when the School and Community Trust released its report, Maine had one standardized test called the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA). This nine day test did not correspond to Noble High School’s unique curriculum: for example, the 11th grade MEA tests physics, but NHS students do not take physics until the 12th grade. However, at that time, the MEA was not a high-stakes test. As a result, the school did not revise or modify its curriculum. The School and Community Trust report (2000) notes that student achievement on the MEA has increased in all areas, speculating that this increase could be related to the school’s place-based education projects. Since 2000, Maine may have changed its standards to at least include another form of assessment (New England Common Assessment) as well as specific content-area standards. There is no information on what impact this has had on existing PBE programs and curricula.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References **

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">School and Community Trust, Washington, DC., & Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA. Graduate School of Education (2000). //Learning in place: A special report to the rural school and community trust//. Rural School and Community Trust, Publications Manager, 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 703, Washington, DC 20006 ($10). Retrieved from [|www.csa.com]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Marin County Bird Curricula
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In her 2009 master's thesis, Sharon Anne Barnett presents a summary of place-based education programs on the topics of local birds in Marin County, California. She also collects information about the natural history of Marin County and useful curricula available through local and national organizations.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> She encourages teachers to undertake a PBE project even if they are not familiar with the local information: "Even if the teacher is unfamiliar with birds and has not dabbled in PBE, both teachers and students can enjoy learning about birds together. Children can learn science through studying birds. Once the teacher is comfortable they can begin to add other components such as history, geography, and English [Language Arts]."

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Curriculum/Organization <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Ms. Barnett (2009) give the following illustration of how a PBE bird curriculum can evolve in an elementary classroom: <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> "First grade students at the independent school, Marin Country Day School, study birds from March through June. The class spends the first few classes outdoors looking for birds on campus. They focus on learning how to identify the different bird species by looking at the color, shape, and size of the bird’s beak, legs, feet and body. Posture, field marks, behavior and the habitat the bird is in are also clues that help the students pinpoint the different species. The teacher creates a species list of all the birds seen on a large piece of chart paper and attaches photos of each one. Mid-way through the unit each student chooses a bird to research from the class list. The study culminates with a conservation component. Science, history, geography, English-language art, art, and conservation were all woven into this three-month unit. And to the surprise of many, the teachers are usually as unfamiliar with birds as the students. Therefore, they learn about birds simultaneously with their students, resulting in an exciting classroom dynamic." (p.7)

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> She goes on to mention summarize similar projects in other schools and settings Barnett (2009):


 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Fifth graders in Look Mountain, Georgia studying the habitats and habits of Eastern Bluebirds throughout the school year
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Pre-school teachers taking repeated bird walks through their neighborhoods, taking pictures, and learning to identify the birds as the students revisit them over time
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Middle school students building an interdisciplinary unit around the Atlantic puffin, incorporating science, history, art, and language arts.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Next Ms. Barnett (2009) supplies specific information about the natural history and bird species of Marin County for teachers wishing to develop bird-focused PBE curricula there. She identifies two key sources for bird identification checklists, potentially applicable to any local area:


 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The local Audobon Society chapter (for southeast Michigan, the [|Michigan], [|Washtenaw] , and [|Oakland County] Audubon sites may be valuable resources)
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The United States Geologic Survey[| Bird Checklists]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">She also recommends finding a local field guide that is laminated, lightweight, and compacts easily for carrying along on class birding expeditions. And she recommends the [|eNature] website for additional online information.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> To support teacher professional development, Barnett (2009) recommends finding and attending local free bird-watching outings. She also recommends the following bird-watching websites: <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">And lists many more online resources in her appendix.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Birdwatching.com]
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Neotropicalbirds.org]
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|The Owl Pages]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Ms. Barnett (2009) then profiles a few Marin County PBE Bird programs and highlights additional curricula and resources they use:


 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The [|Cornell Lab of Ornithology] has created [|multiple K-12 bird curricula], including some targeted for urban environments
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|PRBO Conservation] has created a teacher resources packet with 11 bird-related activities
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|The Bird Education Network] and the [|Bird Education Alliance for Conservation] both connecteducators using bird-centered programs in their classrooms to share resources
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Partners in Flight] provides a wealth of information about birds in a user-friendly database
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Enivornment for the Americas provides resources for observation of [|International Migratory Bird Day], with each year focusing on a different bird conservation theme
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">and many more (for a complete listing, please see the Appendix of Ms. Barnett's thesis)

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Ms. Barnett (2009) also identifies a few excellent bird curricula produced from academic research:


 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Burns (1994) gives a basic, uncomplicated, low cost unit that is very helpful for teachers initiating a bird curricula with limited prior experience
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Jackson (1996) incorporates technology, science, math, language arts, art, and social studies by exploring the world of bids through hands-on activities, including using binoculars, building bird feeders, experimenting with different seeds, graphing results, and hatching chicken eggs
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Russo (2008) describes a bird-study curriculum appropriate for preschool and elementary students incorporating repeated observations of "adopted" trees and bird baths, hatching chicken eggs, dramatic storytelling, art, and role-playing activities
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Silverman (2007) uses birdcalls to connect music and science and provides three curricula tied to the National Science Education Standards for K-8th grade

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Funding <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Marin County PBE Birding programs Ms. Barnett profiles have found some materials to be expensive, and have sought funding from the following sources:


 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Marin Municipal Water District
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Barnett, S.A. (2009). //Place-based education and teaching about Marin County birds: Curriculum development for teachers// (Unpublished master's thesis). Dominican University of California, San Rafael, CA. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Download Ms. Barnett's master thesis from ERIC]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Burns, D.L. (1994). //Bird study: An educator's reference desk lesson plan//. Retrieved July 26, 2010 from askeric: http://askeric.org/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Animals/ANM0010.html

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Jackson, C.M. (1996). Can birds fly? Can first graders learn the importance of technology? //The Technology Teacher,// 56 (1), 11-15.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Russo, M. (2008). For the birds! Seeing, being, and creating the bird world. //Young Children//, 63 (1), 26-30.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Silverman, E., Coffman, M., & Younker, B.A. (2007). Cheep, chirp, twitter, and whistle. //Science and Children//, 44 (6), 20-25. Retrieved July 26, 2010 from http://www3.nsta.org/main/news/stories/science_and_children.php?news_story_ID=53291

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Rural Roots Examples of Science Place-Based Learning
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Achieving Academic Goals Through Place-Based Learning is an article that examines the role of rural place-based education (PBE) in five different schools in five different states. The first place-based education program exists in Rural Alaska and focuses on innovative science learning through native roots. Specifically, the example school is the Russian Missionary School, a small rural school that was failing nationally just five years before the article was written. The program uses PBE for high school science education and has the students participate in a unique curriculum that involves everything from beaver trapping to discussions with tribal Elders (Loveland, 2003). The program is supported through the Alaska Rural Systematic Initiative (AKRSI), which is a state wide program funded through the National Science Foundation (NSF). Because the NSF requires documentation of student progress, the AKRSI has had support in documenting the success of PBE in rural Alaska.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The article then highlights the place-based education programs at Tillamook Junior High School. In Tillamook, Oregon, there exists a very large logging community. Loggers must leave a certain number of stumps and standing trees for conservation. Thus, to be involved in the local community, the students work with the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODOF) to assist in counting the number of stumps left by the loggers. They do so in the same way the professional ODOF workers do, and the students yielded highly accurate results. This was a four-year, long term project that helped make things relevant to students. Also, the middle school students got involved with the ODOF’s building of a new building (Loveland, 2003). The students researched native Oregon animal tracks, then applied math skills to create cement tracks on an interpretive walkway. This interdisciplinary project motivated students and made the community relevant to their learning.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The third school was the Guffey Community Charter School in Colorado. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science created a program called “All Sky” in which meteor monitoring cameras were set up at different schools. Guffey was the only elementary school in the project, and with the help of a local volunteer physicist, the students monitored the cameras and helped the Denver Museum analyze meteor patterns (Loveland, 2003). The students participated in this real, applicable science which allowed for them to ask questions and make observations they never would have from a simple text study.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Loveland, E. (2003). Achieving academic goals through place-based learning: Students in five states show how to do it. //Rural Roots//, 4(1), 6-11.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Llano Grande Center
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Llano Grande project is, according to the School and Community Trust (2000), an example of how place-based education can help an entire community. Llano Grande is located in the southernmost area of Texas, close to the Mexican border. Throughout Texas history, the land has been owned by European-descendents but lived on and harvested by Mexican populations. Today, Llano Grande’s population is almost entirely Mexican or of Mexican descent. Furthermore, 50% of the population is migrant workers who spend harvesting seasons in other areas of the country. In order to redress the lack of Mexican-American presence in the school textbooks and to foster a stronger sense of community, local people formed the Lllano Grande Center for Research and Development Projects. The Center’s initial objective was to “document for the first time the social, cultural, and economic history of rural South Texas” (School and Community Trust, 2000, p. 53).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Curriculum/Organization <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">As the main objective of the Center was to strengthen the community, the Center developed a high school history curriculum that required students to go into the community and study local history. Their main sources were not textbooks but rather the oral histories and private photographs and artifacts of community members. Students not only interviewed and documented these stories, they also used them as starting points to learn about larger events in Mexican-American history.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The oral history project had a very specific structure. Before the actual interviewing activities began, the teacher introduced the students to the interviewing process/rules (how to identify interview subjects, how to get permission for interviews, how to record interviews, etc.). The class developed its own three-part questionnaire: “part one asking for standard biographical information and part two asking for questions specific to the needs of the student and class” (School and Community Trust, 2000, p. 61). The third part of the questionnaire is an agreement/permission slip. Once the interviews had been conducted and transcribed, the students then translated them into Spanish and published them in the local, public paper, El Llano Grande Journal. Since 2001, the Center has been making these projects digital. Students now video record their interviews, edit them, and put them online on Llano Grande Center's Digital Storytelling Toolkit website:

media type="youtube" key="IYQgPfrow2w" height="307" width="384" align="center"

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">An example of an oral history project in the Digital Storytelling Toolkit from the Ilano Grande Center (Captura, 2006).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Community Involvement <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">As students graduated from the local high school and went off to college, the Center sought to find ways to keep them involved in the community. To this end, when the college students return home for the summer, many of them find jobs working with the Center on “grant writing, curriculum and community development” (School and Community Trust, 2000, p. 56).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Furthermore, former students contribute relevant research to the Center and work with it to help develop place-based school curriculum. For social studies classes, the curriculum ideas range from using local sites to learn about archaeology to critical thinking exercises about huge concepts that effect their community such as race relations, identity, and gender roles. The Center’s ideas for place-based Language Arts instruction include tracing the formation of the local Tex-Mex dialect via cognates, the study of local folk ballads (Corridos) as literature, and comparing literature specific to their culture to literature from others (i.e., comparing La Llorona to the Greek Medea). The Center also developed Arts curricula that allowed students to create or study art that is culturally significant and visible to the whole community rather than just their peers. Math classes can also be community-based: for example, classes can learn how to use statistics by collecting and compiling demographic data. Science is important to this rural community. Many of the Center’s ideas for place-based scientific education retain the cultural/historical element. An example of this is the study of native plants, how they were used in Mexican and indigenous culture for healing and how they are used by Western medicine. They can also learn about the soil in their region: quality, needs, etc.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">“The Center's programs proceeded from the belief that the best classroom is the one with no walls” (Llano Grande Center for Research and Development, 2008). The relationship between the school and the community is open and mutually beneficial. One of the ways the school benefits the community is by increasing economic opportunities. Since the late 1990s, the Center and school have provided work opportunities to members of the community, directly involving them in the school. Large-scale oral history projects require a tremendous amount of transcription and translation. Thus, the center hired no less than 30 people for three years at a time to handle the work. The Center also provides "an additional source of income to students. . . through the Job Training Partnership Act" (School and Community Trust, 2000, p. 63). In these jobs, students are paid to essentially perform place-based jobs, collecting data and information about their community. This contributes to their education and their income.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">How does the place-based curriculum in Llano Grande impact civic participation? Aside from developing a tightly knit community in which students can proudly form their identities, they are also encouraged to learn about policies and take action. In 2004, the school district was faced with serious dilemmas such as decreased funding and increasing populations. The district had the opportunity to apply for funding of new educational facilities. Unfortunately, two scandals involving school board trustees resulted in widespread distrust of the school board. The district superintendent turned to the students of Edcouch-Elsa (home of the Llano Grande Center) to sell this important information to the community. Not only did the students facilitate discussions between officials and community members, they even made fliers and informational videos about why this issue was important to them and their community. And it worked. The town voted in favor of the construction bond (Guajardo et al., 2006, p. 360-361).

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References **

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">//Llano Grande Center Digital Storytelling Toolkit.// Retrieved from: http://captura.llanogrande.org/index.html

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Captura. (2006, September 16). //Native Americans in wars// [Video file]. Retrieved from: <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Guajardo, F., Perez, D., Guarjado, M.A., Davila, E., Ozuna, J., Saenz, M., & Casaperalta, N. (2006). Youth voice and the Llano Grande Center. //International Journal of Leadership in Education//, 9(4), 359-362

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Llano Grande Center for Research and Development. (2008). //About us: Llano Grande Center History and Mission//. Retrieved from http://llanogrande.org/About

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">School and Community Trust, Washington, DC., & Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA. Graduate School of Education. (2000). //Learning in place: A special report to the rural school and community trust//. Rural School and Community Trust, Publications Manager, 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 703, Washington, DC 20006 ($10). Retrieved from www.csa.com

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teacher Training
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Background <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In 2002, a partnership consisting of the Cheyenne Nation, Comanche Nation, National Geographic Society, National Park Service, Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education (OKAGE), and Oklahoma Historical Society launched the three-year Lodge Pole River Project. The goals of the project were "...to change educator perceptions of American Indian historical geography and encourage the creation of a balanced and culturally sensitive American Indian K-12 curriculum" (Hurt & Wallace, 2005, p. 188). This is to provide all students with a more well-rounded picture of their state geography and history, particularly Native American students whose culture, though important to the state, is invisible or misunderstood in the traditional curriculum. Each year, different teachers (referred to as TCs) participated in the program. Throughout their session, the TCs worked with tribal members, culminating in a joint volume of curriculum materials and ideas.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Program <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">A study by Hurt and Wallace (2005) focused on the second year of the program, in which 15 TCs spent three weeks doing field work in Comanche territory, learning their Comanche perspective on their history/geography before and after they were resettled on a reservation in 1875. During the first weeks of the program, the TCs engaged exclusively in field work, meeting with Comanche tribal members, viewing primary and secondary source documents. They spent the third week synthesizing information and developing a curriculum that included the Comanche perspective. The TC group was a mix of primary and secondary school geography teachers, the majority of which were Caucasian (four identified themselves as Native American). Most group members were also older, with more experience teaching and considerable expertise and training in geography and history.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Project wanted to measure the effect the program had on perceptions of Native American geography and culture. Thus, they gave the session a two-section pretest: Section 1 was a 20 question multiple choice test "designed to assess their general knowledge the participants had of the Comanche" (Hurt and Wallace, 2005, p. 188), Section 2 consisted of Likert statements that assessed on a scale from 1 (weakly agree) to 5 (strongly agree) attitudes toward Native Americans and personal comfort with teaching about Native American geography. The results of the pre-test showed that although most TCs thought their schools adequately covered Comanche geography and history, they felt they personally lacked knowledge on the subjects. This was true, as the TCs failed the multiple choice pre-test.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The post-test at the end of the three week session consisted of the same exact questions as the pre-test, but the questions were in a different order. The results of the post-test showed statistically significant improvement in general and specific knowledge about Comanche culture and geography, as well as greater confidence about teaching Comanche perspectives. Hurt and Wallace (2005) found that although cultural sensitivity did increase, the program planned to alter its structure to increase general knowledge about Comanche culture.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Implications <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">All participants of the Lodge Pole River Project, Session II, valued the experience and the resources the project supplied them with. Taped interviews with Comanche tribal members, access to primary sources, and exposure to multiple perspectives allowed them to create a geography curriculum that was more culturally-sensitive and inclusive. They continued to work with tribal members to enrich their curriculum for their students. However, increasing amounts of standards/standardized tests could jeopardize this new curriculum.

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Hurt, D.A., & Wallace, M.L. (2005). Teaching American Indian geography and history with new perspectives: The Lodge Pole River project example. //Journal of Geography//, 104, 187-193.

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Best Practices =

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Graduate students' synthesis
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">We found many successful models of Place-Based Education, which are presented in the various examples included on this wiki page. Based on common themes in all of the readings cited in other sections of this page, we have developed the following set of considerations for those starting a new PBE project.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Preparing

 * 1) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Value and put a lot of time into preparation -- both program structure and teacher training and support.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Get all your stakeholders on board before beginning the program -- create the program in collaboration with teachers, parents, administrators, community members and organizations, and students (if age appropriate).
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Clearly define the academic goals for the program. Work backwards -- start from your assessments and standards and be creative in developing ways to satisfy them using PBE.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Clarify the expected involvement with and benefit to the community.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Incentivize and support teacher participation with PBE-related professional development. Look for teacher training programs relevant to your topic and locale, or create them!
 * 6) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Establish very clear goals and expectations for mentoring programs and provide appropriate training for mentors.
 * 7) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">When identifying sources of external funding, think outside the box! Consider applying for grants from both government and private funding sources at both the national and local level, including in places that might not seem obvious.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Implementing

 * 1) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Be prepared to "sell" the project, especially in the beginning.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Establish the relevance to your students.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Create a unified effort across classrooms within a school.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Don't feel alone -- your best resources are in your community; bring them to your school or take your students to them.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Utilize resources that are already in your school, e.g. non-teaching professionals (guidance and career counselors, media / technology specialists), school grounds, school historical records.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Sustaining

 * 1) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Use innovative methods to maintain communal excitement: team teaching, whole school projects, etc.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Support teacher collaboration through regular meetings (e.g. weekly or bi-weekly) to share progress, challenges, and learnings.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Develop ways for your program to generate revenue and become self-sustaining.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Throughout

 * 1) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Reach out to PBE programs targeted at similar academic goals to yours to collaborate and share ideas and learnings
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Use technology (listservs, blogs, twitter, newsletters) to facilitate ongoing communication between the school, the community, and parents.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">From the literature
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Powers (2004) suggests the following models for developing good PBE programs.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">(Powers, 2004, p. 20)

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">(Powers, 2004, p. 25)

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">References **

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">﻿Powers, A.L. (2004). An evaluation of four place-based education programs. //Journal of Environmental Education,// 35(4), 17-32.

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Funding Sources = <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">This is a working, flexible list of the sources of funding we have come across in our research for PBE programs. We have found that the key to funding is often thinking out side of the box and finding funding from unusual avenues (like the city water department).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">National
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Many U.S. government foundations and agencies make grants for educational programs related to their core mission. Here is a list of some of the ones that could be applicable for place-based education, depending on the focus of the program.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The National Science Foundation (NSF) has programs such as the [|Academies for Young Scientists] which funds research on "learning in formal and informal settings." Depending on the type of project being proposed, some of the NSF's other funding programs targeted at K-12 education might also be applicable. [|Click here for a list of these programs.]
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The [|National Oceans and Atmosphere Association (NOAA) Office of Education] [|awards grants] for programs such as K-12 environmental literacy and regional watershed education and training for which many environmentally-focused PBE programs might be eligible.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The National Institute of Health (NIH) awards grants on some health-related topics for K-12 programs. Current funding opportunities can be identified by searching for the code R25 and the term "K-12" on [|this page].
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The National Air and Space Administration (NASA) lists [|educational funding opportunities] on their website, a few of which overlap with NOAA, but many of which are unique to NASA and some of which may be applicable for PBE.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) funds several [|education-related] and [|public programs], including such programs as the Picturing America School Collaboration Project, which calls for projects that encourage K-12 involvement, "with the rich resources of American art to tell America's story."
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) makes grants under [|several education-related programs], including such topics as "Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth -- To advance arts education for children and youth in school-based or community-based settings."
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Corporation for National and Community Service makes grants for several education and community-based programs that encourage [|citizenship, service, and responsibility]. At the time of writing, the [|open funding opportunities] are for programs involving AmeriCorps volunteers.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The U.S. Department for Education makes grants for a variety of [|education programs], some of which might be applicable for certain PBE programs. Open grants are listed [|here].
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The U.S. Department of Justice/Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention funds [|afterschool and mentoring programs] that help guide youth away from criminal activities.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The U.S. Department of Labor offers information and some funding to support [|apprenticeship programs], which could be an element of a PBE program.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funds [|faith and community-based programs] which may be relevant for PBE.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">State

 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Funding for PBE is sometimes provided through state education initiatives (e.g., Alaska). To advocate for such initiatives in your state, consider contacting your representatives and your state board of education.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Local

 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Marin county teachers were granted funding for bird-focused PBE programs from their local Municipal Water District and Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program. Think outside the box on what local agencies might have available funds and an interest in your proposed PBE program!

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">National

 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">American Express Philanthropy funds projects under three themes, all of which could be relevant to PBE initiatives: Cultural Heritage, Leadership, and Community Service. Information on applying for funding is [|here].
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Bank of America Foundation funds projects focused on [|local needs and building neighborhoods]. Information on grant eligibility is [|here].
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation accepts unsolicited applications for [|grants to increase academic success through school / community collaborations] in Pacific-Northwest communities (Washington State or metro Portland areas).
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Cargill Foundation accepts applications for [|educational initiatives] focused on metropolitan Minneapolis.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation recently announced an opportunity for grants from its [|Social Innovation Fund], which will focus on proven programs which serve low-income young people.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Ford Foundation funds grants to organizations focused on [|reforming secondary education] in New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Denver.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation funds grants focused on education and place-based initiatives, especially focused in New Jersey. More information on their programs is [|here].
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The PepsiCo Foundation accepts unsolicited letters of interest for grants less than $100,000 focused on education. Information on applying is [|here].
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Progress Energy Foundation accepts unsolicited applications for grants less than $100,000 focused on education issues in Florida, North Carolina, or South Carolina. Information on applying is [|here].
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Verizon Foundation accepts applications for grants to education-focused programs. Application guidelines are[|here].
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Walton Family Foundation accepts unsolicited applications for [|public charter school startup grants], targeting specific regions include Detroit.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The W.K. Kellogg Foundation supports grants for [|education] and [|community engagement]. Application information is[|here].
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The National Geographic Education Foundation funds grants to improve geography education, provide teachers with professional development, and engage students in experiential, hands-on learning. More information is [|here].

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Links to Resources =

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Promise of Place
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Promise of Place is private/public partnership that collaboratively works to "advance the state of the art in place-based education." The website includes:

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Click here for the Promise of Place website
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">What is PBE
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Curriculum and Planning
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Research and Evaluation
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Stories from the Field
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In the Media
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Network
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Calendar

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Alaska Native Knowledge Network
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The ANKN is an internet resource for “compiling and exchanging information related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing.” The website includes:


 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Information about ANKN
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Publications
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Academic programs
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Curriculum resources
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Events
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Announcements

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Click here for ANKN website.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Center for Place-Based Education
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Center for PBE is part of the Antioch New England Institute in Keene, New Hampshire. They "promote community-based education programs" and "encourage partnerships between student, teachers, and community members that strengthen and support student achievement, community vitality, and a healthy environment." The website includes:


 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">What PBE is
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">What Service Learning is
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Center for Place-Based Education Programs
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Web-links
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Green Programs

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Click here for the Center of PBE website

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Annenberg Challenge
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Annenberg Challenge was a $500 million grant program administered from 1993-1998 with a focus on improving public schools. The Challenge focused on several aspects of education, but the Rural Challenge funded several pioneering place-based education models.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Click here for the Annenberg Challenge website]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Orion Society
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">"The Orion Society’s mission is to inform, inspire, and engage individuals and grassroots organizations in becoming a significant cultural force for healing nature and community. We accomplish that mission by way of our programs, this and other websites, and gatherings of people brought together to explore the important issues of the day."

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Click here for the Orion Society Website

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The U.S. Geological Survey
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The US Geological Survey provides multiple [|online education resources] which may provide curricular or data resources that reduce the cost of earth science-focused PBE programs.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Bureau of Land Management
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) engages in partnerships with local communities on projects related to land management, and [|has had its local staff work with local school groups on exploring their environment].

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Serve.gov
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Serve.gov website offers [|toolkits] and resources for creating successful volunteer programs around topics such as [|education] and [|healthy foods]. These could be used to help draw the community into supporting PBE initiatives and programs. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">There are also numerous resources and organizations mentioned throughout this site: keep exploring!

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Policy & Legislation Relevant to Place-based Education =

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Much of the current policy and legislation occurs within individual states, and often, policy does not explicitly state 'place-based education.' Yet, many acts (locally and nationally) have the potential to provide national support and grounding for Place-based Education. In the first section of this page, examples of individual states' policy is explored. In the second section, national policy's potential support of PBE is explored.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Alaska:
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Alaska Onward to Excellence (AOTE) and Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI) are mutually funded by the Meyer Memorial Trust and are implemented in Alaska. They are adopted by school districts to create partnerships between schools and communities. The AOTE and AKRSI are funded by the National Science Foundation and directed by the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative works to involve indigenous ways of learning into the formal education system. In other words, AKRSI engages the community in local education through the involvement of native culture, language, and integration into curriculum. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Alaska Onward to Excellence promotes school districts to “work closely with community stakeholders (parents, elders, other community members and students) to establish a mission and student learning outcomes,” (Alaska onward to excellence, 1999).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">(1999). Alaska onward to excellence & Alaska rural systematic initiative. American Youth Policy Forum. http://www.aypf.org/publications/rmaa/pdfs/Alaska.pdf

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Michigan:
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In Michigan, grassroots movements for PBE are growing, especially in Detroit. As Hans Barbe (running for the State Senate in District 2) says in answer to the question "What's a better solution: Finding revenue or cutting costs to meet Michigan's public education budget? How would you do it?"

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">"Both cutting costs and finding revenue are important strategies to pursue. Firstly, we must reprioritize our budget: currently we spend more on our prison system than our school system, which is absolutely appalling. But second, and more important in my opinion, we must STOP TEACHING FOR TESTS because they are connected to funding. Teaching for math and science tests in order to get more money is not an education, that's nothing more than obedience training. What we need is "place-based" education: where lesson plans are designed around critical thinking and problem solving in the local community, like how to deconstruct a blighted home or farm a vacant lot. You will see parental involvement, one of the root issues behind our education crisis, improve when the education system itself takes an active interest in the local community of which it is a part." <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/politics/wayne_senate/senate-district-2,-hans-barbe

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Connections between Michigan and Alaska:
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Alaska represents a unique (and in our opinion) well done plan to support Place-Based education in the classroom. According to the Russian Mission School in the Lower Yukon ([]), place-based education has led to significant improvement in test scores. Like Michigan, Alaska is a state that has a variety of environments- from urban to rural- each state is supported partially through the tourist industry and each state is grounded in nature and its environment. From the Upper Peninsula all the way to Grand Rapids and Detroit, Michigan has a lot to learn from the new millennial Alaskan attitude toward education.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">No Child Left Behind:
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Obama's Blueprint for Reform offers many opportunities to potentially support place-based education. Below is the general outline of the reform document. The bolded points are the NCLB principles that, in our opinion, align directly with the goals and benefits of PBE.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">College and Career Ready Students <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Great Teachers and Leaders in Every School <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Equity and Opportunity for all Students <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Raise the Bar and Reward Excellence <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Promote Innovation and Continuous Improvements
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Raising standards for all students **
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Better assessments
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">A complete education **
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Effective Teachers and Principals
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Our best teaches and leaders where they are needed most
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Strengthening teacher and leader preparation and recruitment **
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Rigorous and fair accountability for all levels
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Meeting the needs of diverse learners **
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Greater equity **
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Fostering a Race to the Top
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Supporting effective public school choice
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Promoting a culture of college readiness and success **
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Fostering Innovation and accelerating success **
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Supporting, recognizing and rewarding local innovations **
 * **<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Supporting student success **

**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Resources ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Duncan, A. & Martin, C. (2010) //A blueprint for reform: The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.// U.S. Department of Education.

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Action Opportunities = <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Synthesized by our group from everything we learned in researching the topic of place-based education.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Community Members

 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Reach out to local schools with ideas for projects that relevant to your work, personal interests, or organization
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Volunteer time and resources to support existing programs or create new ones
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Volunteer to be mentors or tutors
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Offer students internships and apprenticeships

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students

 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Volunteer as mentors or tutors
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Volunteer in the community (retirement centers, parks & camps, government)
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Start a club with friends and peers to explore place-based education opportunities in your community
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Advocate with teachers and administrators to incorporate PBE in your school's curriculum
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Participate in and encourage (via feedback, etc) any PBE programs your school has

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Parents

 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Know what's going on in the school--talk to the teachers and administrators about PBE
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Organize parent volunteer groups to support community involvement (chaperoning, etc)
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Volunteer with your kids in the community
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Support PBE as a member of the community (see above)
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">If you can, enroll your child in PBE programs
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Spread the word: tell other parents the benefits of PBE and build momentum among parents to implement it

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Businesses/Organizations

 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Offer internships and apprenticeships to students
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Look for ways students involvement/projects can add value to your business/organization
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Donate materials, supplies, money, and time to PBE projects at your schools
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Build strong relationships with school administrators and teachers--brainstorm PBE opportunities together

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teachers

 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Seek out PBE-related professional development opportunities and training
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Identify school and community resources that can benefit PBE projects
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Establish and maintain strong ties to the community (support community clubs and organizations)
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">It's okay to start small: experiment with small, short-term PBE units/activities and build confidence/support
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Advocate for PBE with school administrators/school board
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Facilitate communication between all stakeholders via newsletters, listservs, blogs, etc.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Administrators:

 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Take the lead: bring PBE into your school
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Provide appropriate PBE-focused professional development for your teachers
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Reach out to other schools and districts with PBE in your area: share resources and ideas
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Maintain strong ties to the community

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Everyone:

 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Call or write to your representatives at the local, state, and national level to advocate for policy/legislative support for PBE. Specific relevant legislation under consideration right now at the federal level includes:
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|H.R. 3225 Community Gardens Act of 2009] is a House of Representatives bill that would provide funds from the federal government to support community gardens, which could become a component of PBE.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|S. 968 Secondary School Innovation Fund Act] includes funds for improving community and parental involvement in students' education. The House version of this bill is [|H.R. 2239].