That’s a wrap!
Students are trading in their books for beach towels as the school year comes to a close. In the 2018-2019 school year, the Coastkeeper education team will have educated 2,655 students in 32 schools and at 14 informal education events. We are proud to share that we will have delivered a total of 84 classroom presentations, with 69 percent of presentations given in Title 1 schools, and 25 percent of presentations given in communities where CalEnviroScreen found that over 50 percent of the population was disproportionately impacted by, or vulnerable to, pollution.
In addition, we collected qualitative and quantitative data to better support and inform the continuous improvement of our education program. After our presentations, students increased their environmental knowledge by 33 percent.
We also received positive reviews in our presentation evaluations and 24 responses to our needs assessment. One teacher went so far to write up a glowing review of our education specialist, Shannon, and her interactions with students:
“Working with Coastkeeper this semester has been a valuable and positive experience. Shannon has worked closely with our students from the start to the finish of our project. She first visited our class at the launch of our project and shared important information about climate change and the work of Coastkeeper. She elicited student thinking and questions that helped shape the design and amazing work they completed. She helped support the students from the initial to the final drafts of their bilingual children’s books by giving them crucial feedback. Their books are now in publication and will be shared with the public in the next coming weeks. The students are super excited about being published and also about having these books be used to inform the community about important weather patterns and climate topics. I hope to continue my work with Coastkeeper.” – Andrea Frias, High Tech High North County
While students work on catching waves, our education team will be working on a different type of SWELL. This summer, we will be updating our 5th grade curriculum and including structure for supplemental classroom visits, to increase engagements with the hope for greater knowledge retention and building the foundation for watershed stewardship.
Are you a teacher who wants to connect with us about our curriculum and guided lessons? Reach out to [email protected]!
Want to support the education program, and contribute to environmental education and stewardship opportunities for young San Diegans? You can make a donation to support education today!
