The National Environmental Literacy Project: A Baseline Study of Middle Grade Students in the United States

Abstract

The authors discuss environmental literacy in the United States and present a brief summary of the results of a major national study designed to attain a baseline measure of environmental literacy among middle school students in the United States The authors include events that led up to the study and desctibe future directions for environmental literacy assessment.

Keywords:

• environmental behavior
• environmental education
• environmental literacy
• environmental sensitivity
• middle school
• national assessment

Notes

*Total possible points = 60.

**Total possible points = 240.

1. This project was funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Education and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and was conducted with the cooperation of the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). The study was completed under the U.S. EPA Grant # NA08SEC4690026 and could not have been completed without the support of several organizations and individuals. They include the following: the U.S. EPA (especially Ms. Ginger Potter); NOAA (especially Ms. Sarah Schoedinger); NAAEE (especially Mr. Brian Day and staff); the schools, students, teachers, parents, and administrators who participated in the collection of data; and the members of the EE community who helped us collect the data. In addition to the authors, other members of the research team included Harold Hungerford, Center for Instruction, Staff Development and Evaluation; Tom Marcinkowski, Florida Institute of Technology; and Ron Meyers, Ron Meyers and Associates. A full report on the study can be found at <http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/NAEE_Report/>.