FAQs: Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI)
On this page you will find frequently asked questions and answers regarding the history, the EEI Curriculum, and implementing the Education and the Environment Initiative.
I. The History of EEI
Q: What is the Education and the Environment Initiative?
A: The Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) was signed into law in
2003 [Assembly Bill 1548 (Pavley, Statues of 2003) and AB 1721
(Pavley, Statutes of 2005)]. It mandates a broad-ranging strategy to bring
education about the environment into California’s K-12 schools.
Specifically, this law requires the State to:
- Develop Environmental Principles and Concepts (EP&C) to complement the State’s academic content standards;
- Incorporate the EP&Cs into the State Board of Education's criteria for adopted instructional materials in science, history-social science, English/language arts, and mathematics;
- Design, develop, and disseminate a K-12 standards-based curriculum to teach these EP&Cs to California’s K-12 students;
- Align State agency programs with the EP&Cs; and
- Establish an interagency partnership to implement the EEI.
Q: What are the Environmental Principals and Concepts?
A: As part of the creation of the landmark California Education and the
Environment Initiative (EEI) Curriculum, more than 100 scientists and
technical experts from across the state—representing State agencies,
universities, business and industry, and environmental
organizations—contributed to the development of a unique set of
Environmental Principles and Concepts.
Five environmental principles and 14 related concepts were developed to examine the interactions and interdependence of human societies and natural systems.
The EP&Cs were widely distributed and subjected to field reviews statewide. They were reviewed and approved by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of the Secretary, as well as by the former California Integrated Waste Management Board (now the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery [CalRecycle].
The EP&Cs serve as the foundation for developing the Model Curriculum for the K-12 California EEI Curriculum as mandated under the Education and the Environment Initiative.
Learn more about California's unique EP&Cs at http://www.calepa.ca.gov/Education/Principles/.
Q: When was the EEI Curriculum developed and who was involved
in the planning process?
A: The development of the plan for the EEI Curriculum was
completed in June 2005. The development team made extensive
efforts to take into account the numerous environmental
curricula and education programs across the state. Input was
solicited from diverse providers and stakeholders (State and
local agencies, non-governmental organizations, and K-12
educators). These stakeholders participated in developing the
plan for the EEI Curriculum. In addition to participating in
planning, this process allowed the providers and stakeholders to
explore the role that their existing programs may play in
achieving the overall goals of the EEI.
Q: Which State agencies are responsible for implementing the
Education and the Environment Initiative?
A: The partners leading this groundbreaking effort include the
California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) and the
former California Integrated Waste Management Board, now
CalRecycle. They are working in cooperation with the California
Department of Education, State Board of Education, Governor’s
Office of the Secretary for Education, and the California
Natural Resources Agency.
Q: Are only State agencies involved in implementing the
Education and the Environment Initiative?
A: No, a broad-based education partnership comprised of
representatives of government, business and industry,
non-governmental organizations, and education institutions
provides guidance to the effort, promotes outreach to various
constituencies, and is working to secure funding for the
implementation of the EEI.
Q: What steps were taken during the development of the plan
for the EEI Curriculum?
A: The development of the plan for the Model Curriculum took
place January-April 2005.
The major steps in the process of developing the plan were:
- Established an Interagency Model Curriculum Planning Committee to guide the development of the model curriculum plan—participants included representatives of Cal/EPA, CalRecycle (the former California Integrated Waste Management Board, State Department of Education, State Board of Education, Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission, Governor’s Office of the Secretary of Education, and the Natural Resources Agency.
- Defined the goals and scope for the EEI Curriculum.
- Gathered input on the draft design—from the standards alignment maps, statewide Educator Needs Assessment, and county office of education focus group meetings.
- Developed instructional design for the EEI Curriculum—including initial grade-level coverage, initial discipline coverage, and breadth of content standards coverage.
- Developed grade-level and discipline-specific learning objectives—based on alignment to standards and the identified grade-level sequence of instruction that will achieve mastery of the standards and EP&Cs in a sequence based on the standards alignment maps.
- Assembled the Model Curriculum Plan.
- Reviewed the draft plan with the Interagency Model Curriculum Planning Committee.
Q: What process was used to ensure the content of the EEI
curriculum is technically and scientifically accurate?
A: The EEI Curriculum, which was approved by the State Board of
Education in early 2010, was developed and vetted in a lengthy
and highly transparent public process that included multiple
layers of peer and expert review, including the following:
- Expert reviews of each curriculum unit in 2006-09;
- Field and pilot testing by teachers in 2007-09;
- An independent review by the Curriculum Development & Supplemental Materials Commission and State Board of Education in 2009 (which mirrored the textbook adoption review process);
- Professional peer review by associations of education professionals at various conferences and meetings (throughout the process);
- A nine-month public comment period during which the Curriculum was posted on the web (and of which well over a thousand individuals and organizations were notified by both Cal/EPA and CDE);
- Additional review by subject matter experts of select, high profile units;
- SBE review (by law), and subsequent approval (as noted above) contingent upon incorporation of necessary edits and corrections; and
- Final review and approval by CDE of all edits and corrections at the direction of SBE.
In addition, the authors and expert reviewers for each
curriculum unit are listed in each unit and may be viewed
online.
Q: Where can I see the plan for developing the Education and
the Environment Initiative (EEI) Curriculum?
A: The plan for the EEI Curriculum is available for download at:
http://www.calepa.ca.gov/Education/EEI/documents/ModelPlan.pdf
Q: What legislative provisions cover the Education and the
Environment Initiative curriculum?
A: The law provided specific directives regarding the
development and dissemination of a “model curriculum” (EEI
Curriculum) for the Environmental Principals and Concepts, which
were developed as part of the EEI. The key provisions were as
follows:
- For the purposes of the EEI, the term “model curriculum” (EEI Curriculum) means a comprehensive educational plan, for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, for teaching the Environmental Principles and Concepts.
- The EEI Curriculum has been developed by the California Environmental Protection Agency and the former California Integrated Waste Management Board, in cooperation with the Natural Resources Agency, State Department of Education, and State Board of Education.
- The EEI Curriculum has been aligned, where applicable, with adopted academic content standards in science and history-social sciences, and supports English/language arts standards where appropriate.
The EEI Curriculum was reviewed by the Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission, the Secretary for Environmental Protection, and the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, then submitted to the State Board of Education for its approval.
Q: What was the plan for developing and disseminating the
Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) Curriculum?
A: The EEI curriculum was developed and tested from 2006 to
2009. Dissemination is scheduled for late 2010. For a detailed
look at the phases of the California EEI, please check out the
Phases and Timeline: Education and the Environment Initiative.
The course of action, to date, has included:
- Engaged writers to develop standards-based curriculum.
- Developed draft EEI Curriculum.
- Field-tested draft EEI Curriculum materials.
- Revised draft materials based on teachers’ input during field testing.
- Pilot-tested grade-level EEI Curriculum packages.
- Revised draft grade-level EEI Curriculum packages based on teachers’ input during pilot testing.
- Submitted draft EEI Curriculum to the Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission for review, comment, and approval.
- Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission submitted comments on draft EEI Curriculum to Secretaries of Cal/EPA and Natural Resources Agency.
- Draft Final EEI Curriculum posted online.
- Secretaries of Cal/EPA and Natural Resources Agency submitted EEI Curriculum to State Board of Education for approval.
- State Board of Education approved the EEI Curriculum for use in California K-12 classrooms statewide.
- Production and dissemination of EEI Curriculum and related professional development for teachers and educational leaders.
Q: Will the Environmental Principles and Concepts be
incorporated into textbooks?
A: The law calls for incorporating the EP&Cs into
criteria for textbook adoption in science, mathematics,
English/language arts, and history-social science. The textbook
adoption process operates on a multiyear cycle, so it is not
possible to immediately incorporate the Environmental Principles
and Concepts into all textbooks. The criteria for the next
English/language arts textbook adoption were recently approved
by the State Board of Education. These criteria state: “When
appropriate, informational texts in grades 4-8 will include
content that incorporates education principles and concepts for
the environment that is consistent with grade-level Standards
and the unit/ theme design and as required in Public Resources
Code Section 71301(d)(1).” Similar criteria will be included in
the adoption criteria for history-social science and science
during the next adoption cycle.
Q: Who were the stakeholders involved in helping to
conceptualize and develop the EEI when the law was first passed?
A: From its inception, implementation of the Education
and the Environment Initiative has been a collaborative effort
involving a number of governmental and non-governmental
organizations. Key partners have included the Office of the
Secretary of Education, State Board of Education, the State
Department of Education, and the California Natural Resources
Agency. Heal the Bay, a non-profit environmental organization
and the bill’s sponsor, joined the state’s leadership team in
early-2004.
The following entities participated as members of an “Education Partnership”, formed in 2004 to help in the development of the Environmental Principles and Concepts (EP&C's) and standard alignment process in preparation for the creation of the Model Curriculum Plan. This volunteer entity is no longer active, although many of these organizations are still engaged in our current EEI efforts. Below is a listing of the individuals/organizations that participated in the EEI’s early development work.
Government Partners | Associate Partners
| Government Partners | |
|---|---|
| Assembly Member Pavley's Office Susan Little, Senior Assistant California Environmental Protection Agency Dan Skopec, Undersecretary Andrea Lewis, Assistant Secretary California Integrated Waste Management Board Margo Reid Brown, Chair Susan Sakakihara, Acting Assistant Director California Resources Agency Crawford Tuttle, Deputy Secretary Chris Potter, Coordinator, Coastal Grants Wetlands Sue Sims, Assistant Director of Public Affairs, Department of Water Resources |
Department of Education Sue Stickel,
Deputy Superintendent Department of Transportation James Lawrence, Chief Office of the Secretary for Education Ray Reinhard, Assistant Secretary Senator Torlakson’s Office Tom Higgins, Principal Consultant State Board of Education Bonnie Reiss, Board Member Catherine Barkett, Executive Director |
| Associate Partners | |
| California Council for Environmental and
Economic Balance Vic Weisser, CCEEB President Bob Lucas, CCEEB Consultant California Farm Bureau Cynthia Cory, Director - Environmental Affairs California Forest Products Commission Don Zea, President California Institute for Biodiversity Carol J. Baird, Executive Director California Manufacturers and Technology Association Jack Stewart, President California School Boards Association Scott Plotkin, Executive Director Rick Pratt, Assistant Director California Science Teachers Association Christina Bertrand, Executive Director California State Association of Counties Karen Keene, Legislative Representative California State Parks Foundation Elizabeth Goldstein, President Sara Feldman, Director, Southern California Office California State Parent Teacher Association Gini (Virginia) Natali California Teachers Association Marlene Fong, Instructional & Professional Development Consultant, CTA Region 4 Coalition for Clean Air Tim Carmichael, President George Lucas Educational Foundation Diane Demee-Benoit, Director of Outreach Heal the Bay Leslie Mintz, Legislative Director League of California Cities Yvonne Hunter, Legislative Representative EMA, Inc. Jerry King, Managing Partner |
National Geographic Society Francesca Cava, Ocean Literacy Program Mgr. Planning and Conservation League
Scripps Institution of Oceanography Suzanne Lawrence, Government Relations Sierra Club Youth Services Chris Taylor, National Director Society of the Plastics Industry Laurie Hansen, Contract Lobbyist TreePeople Chris Imhoff, Director of Education Universal Kelly Meyer, Liaison to Universal Studios UC Berkeley, School of Public Health Amy Kyle, Ph.D., MPH USC Sea Grant Phyllis Grifman, Associate Director Walt Disney Company Kathy DiRanna, Director of Environmental Programs Warner Bros. Shelley Levin Billik, Vice President Waste Management Inc. Kent Stoddard, Director Water Education Foundation Rita Schmidt-Sudman, Executive Director Western States Petroleum Association Cathy Reheis-Boyd Wright Consulting Ellen Wright |
II. The EEI Curriculum
Q: What is the purpose of the Education and the Environment
Initiative (EEI) Curriculum?
A: The EEI Curriculum has been designed to function as a scope
and sequence for teaching the Environmental Principles and
Concepts. It provides a learning continuum from kindergarten
through twelfth grade with clearly defined learning outcomes
that are aligned to California’s academic content standards and
targeted at helping students achieve mastery of those standards
at each grade level.
Q: How will the Education and the Environment Initiative
(EEI) help students achieve mastery of academic content
standards? Does the EEI Curriculum relate to adopted
instructional materials and other environmental curricula and
education programs?
A: The EEI Curriculum provides teachers with an alternative
strategy for using adopted instructional materials. It interests
students by using the environment as a context for
standards-based instruction. The EEI Curriculum is designed to
teach standards to mastery through instructional strategies that
are relevant and engaging.
At the same time, the EEI Curriculum is designed to work in coordination with the instructional materials that are adopted by the State Board of Education, as well as the educational resources that are offered by the providers of California’s diverse environmental curricula and education programs. This approach provides students and teachers with the opportunity to make the most appropriate use of all of the rich instructional resources that are available to them.
Q: Students enjoy learning about the environment, but what
makes the Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI)
Curriculum so unique or significant?
A: The EEI Curriculum is designed to increase environmental
literacy in K-12 students throughout California. Accomplishing
that goal requires building an understanding that everyone and
everything is linked to the environment. California’s economic
prosperity, the health of its citizens, and in fact, our whole
future depends on the health of the environment in which we
live. Integrating education about the environment into our K-12
school system will make learning relevant to today’s world and
prepare students to be knowledgeable citizens who can make
informed decisions about California’s future.
There are also many important benefits to incorporating environment-based instruction into K-12 schools:
- Evidence from a growing body of national studies indicates that achievement increases when students learn the academic content standards in an environmental context.
- Environmental content can be connected to many subject areas, including science, history-social science, English/language arts, and mathematics. These connections help students understand how learning can be relevant to their daily lives and their communities, a significant motivating factor in the learning process.
- Students can learn about how their individual actions affect the environment, thus allowing and encouraging them to participate in identifying and helping resolve environmental issues that may have an impact on their quality of life.
Q: Now that the EEI Curriculum is finalized and
SBE-approved, how will it be updated in the future?
A: Future plans for updates to the EEI
Curriculum are currently undetermined, but will likely be
greatly influenced by the state’s annual textbook adoption
process (which is currently suspended until the 2013-14 school
year). In the meantime, should a member of the public identify
a discrete error in the curriculum and wish to submit a
correction, Cal/EPA will collect and review submissions. Submit
the specific error and correction to
eei@calepa.ca.gov.
III. Implementing the EEI
Q: How will the Education and the Environment Initiative
(EEI) work with environmental education programs in State
agencies?
A: The law states that the EP&Cs developed under the EEI “shall
be used to” do all of the following:
- “To direct (the programs of) state agencies that include environmental education components for elementary and secondary education in regulatory decisions or enforcement actions.
- “To (serve as the basis for aligning the) state agency environmental education programs and materials that are developed for elementary and secondary education.”
Q: How will the Education and the Environment Initiative work
with environmental education programs in non-governmental
organizations?
A: The law does not directly affect non-governmental
organizations with environmental education programs. The EP&Cs
and standards alignment maps are available to non-governmental
organizations and other interested parties should they choose to
align their environmental education programs to the State’s
program.
Q: Did the Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI)
provide funding for environmental education programs?
A: No funds were allocated, at the time when the law was
initially passed, for the implementation of the EEI. To date,
the former California Integrated Waste Management Board, now
CalRecycle, has generously supported the development of the EEI
Curriculum and school district outreach and education. Support
has also been provided by the Department of Conservation, Air
Resources Board, Department of Toxic Substances Control, State
Water Resources Control Board, Office of Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment, State and Consumer Services Agency, Natural
Resources Agency, and the California Energy Commission. The
California Environmental Protection Agency and CalRecycle have
provided staff to implement the EEI.
Q: Will additional funding be sought to implement the
Education and the Environment Initiative?
A: Yes, a major fundraising campaign is underway to seek funds
and in-kind support from governmental, business, and
philanthropic sources.
Q: Will the Education and the Environment Initiative provide
funding for environmental education programs conducted by other
agencies or non-governmental organizations?
A: No, the law does not provide for a grant making function as
part of the Education and the Environment Initiative.
Q: What does it mean to be an “EEI Early Adopter” school
district, and what's involved?
A: Between 2006 and 2009, the EEI Curriculum was field
and pilot tested in 19 school districts statewide. More than 200
teachers and more than 4,750 K – 12 students participated in extensive
testing to help shape the EEI Curriculum into the effective
environment-based curriculum that it now is.
These same 19 school districts are now being offered support to become “Early Adopters” of the EEI Curriculum. Office of Education and Environment (OEE) staff are conducting Orientations for teachers and district administrators. Access to the EEI Curriculum, options for electronic use and printing, and how to use the EEI Curriculum in conjunction with adopted instructional materials currently in California classrooms is being discussed at the Orientations. Teachers are providing input about the Curriculum regarding the ease of use, alignment to standards, necessary electronic enhancements and more.
These 19 school districts are critically important to the statewide implementation of the EEI Curriculum. The teachers are positioned to support curriculum implementation in their schools and are also eager to serve as model leaders for neighboring districts. They are providing evaluative feedback regarding the curriculum itself and the implementation process. This feedback will shape approaches and recommendations for the rest of the state.
For a list of the 19 school district who field and pilot tested the EEI Curriculum, please see the Field and Pilot Testing Map (PDF).
Q: Will outreach occur to all 1,059 school districts in
California to encourage implementation of the EEI Curriculum?
A: Yes. California, the Golden State, is home to a diverse
population served by 1,059 school districts. Due to the sheer
number of school districts, outreach and support is occurring in
a four year phased apprach. Cal/EPA, in partnership with the
California Department of Education, is informing educators about
the availability of the EEI Curriculum. We are working closely
with the Early Adopters this school year (2010/2011) to provide
teacher professional development, technical assistance and
support for the creation of partnerships to help districts with
practical needs such as printing or digital access. We will
communicate with approximately 80 additional districts in the
same timeframe. To meet the goal of 100% of California’s school
districts having the opportunity to obtain and implement the EEI
Curriculum by 2014, the remaining number of school districts
will be reached over the following three years. The phases are:
- School Year 2010/2011 -- 100 school districts reached
- School Year 2011/2012 -- 320 school districts reached
- School Year 2012/2013 -- 320 school districts reached
- School Year 2013/2014 -- 319 school districts reached
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Education and the Environment Initiative, http://www.calepa.ca.gov/Education/EEI/
Contact: EEI@calepa.ca.gov