The Effect of a State Education Reform Act on Environmental Education and Interpretative Facilities

Abstract

Environmental education and interpretive facilities in Texas were surveyed to determine the effects on their attendance, management, and programming of a state education reform bill. The bill potentially restricted the ability of public school teachers to take classes on field trips to off-campus educational centers. Findings indicated that facility attendance did decline during the twelve months following passage of the legislation. The survey also found that many environmental education and interpretive facilities made programming and management changes to adapt to the bill. These changes were associated with various facility characteristics and may have been responsible for a subsequent recovery in attendance levels.