Why Teach Environmental Education at the High School Level?

Most environmental education curricula are aimed at K-8 students, leaving a gap in the environmental education of more than 16 million high school students. Developing more high school-based environmental education programs will not only increase environmental literacy among teenagers, but also address the persistence of low scores on the Advanced Placement Environmental Science Exam.

Research shows that high school students have the inclination and need to learn more about the environment. A 2006 MTV poll of 13-24 year olds found that:

• Twenty-two percent of high school students say that the environment is the most important problem their generation will face.
• Forty-nine percent of high school students have heard little or nothing at all about what they can do to help the environment and slow global warming.
• Fifty-nine percent of high school students believe that in 20 years the environment will be worse than it is now.
   

Educators have the opportunity now to channel high school students’ natural energy and optimism into positive action. High school students need to know how to address day-to-day environmental problems and will need to be prepared for a workplace that expects baseline environmental knowledge as a job prerequisite. According to Marketplace, a public radio program produced by American Public Media that focuses on economic trends, environmentally-related jobs are the fastest growing sector of the employment market.

Integrating environmental education into the high school curriculum supports many of the principles that education reform advocates promote, including improving student-teacher relationships, making lessons relevant to students’ everyday lives, preparing students for future careers, and including technology in instruction.

Environmental education is:

•  Interdisciplinary;
•  Relevant to the issues students will face in their adult lives;
•  Conducive to student-directed instruction;
•  Engaging;
•  Collaborative, involving inquiry, and valuing differing viewpoints;
•  Technology-friendly; and
•  Supportive of students’ out-of-school learning as well as classroom learning.
   

Research studies also indicate that a vibrant environmental education program leads to increased overall academic success including:

• Better performance on standardized tests across disciplines;
• Increased engagement and enthusiasm for learning;
• Increased teacher involvement and morale;
• Fewer classroom discipline problems; and
• Increased ability to apply understanding in a real-world setting.