Contradictions in educational policy: implementing integrated problem‐based environmental health curriculum in a high stakes environment

Abstract

In this paper, we focus on the efforts of educators at nine different research sites within the United States, funded by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), to develop and implement innovative, interdisciplinary curriculum on the relationship of the environment and human health. The NIEHS correctly maintained that the interdisciplinary nature of learning about environmental health would improve students’ learning across several subject areas and should, therefore, contribute to students scoring higher on state’s subject area based standardized tests. However, these goals were undermined by state polices linking standardized tests with student promotion and graduation, and the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) that required public schools and districts to aggregate test scores which might have negative consequences, such as reducing school funding or privatizing school administration and state policies. These policies resulted in deleterious effects that undermined implementing environmental health curricula.

Keywords:

• environmental health
• integration
• education
• educational policy
• teacher collaboration
• teacher education

Acknowledgements

The project described was supported by grant numbers R25ES010717 and P30ES01247 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences or the National Institutes of Health.

Notes

1. The nine sites were located at the University of Miami, Baylor College of Medicine, Maryland Public Television, Bowling Green State University, Oregon State University, University of Washington, University of Rochester, Texas A&M University, and The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Because we guaranteed our informants anonymity, we cannot reveal from which site specific data, such as quotes, come from.

2. Grades 5 through 12 typically have students from age 11 to 18.

3. Lead‐based paint was only banned in 1978.

4. This program provides financial assistance to LEAs and schools with high numbers or high percentages of poor children to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. Federal funds are currently allocated through four statutory formulas that are based primarily on census poverty estimates and the costs are allocated through four statutory formulas that are based primarily on census poverty estimates and the cost of education in each state. See http://www.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/index.html.