The State Education

and Environment Roundtable will now partner with Georgia in the program,

known as EIC (Using the Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning).

The state Board of Education approved this partnership at its meeting

last week.

Developed by

Gerald Lieberman, Ph.D., and SEER, the EIC program is based on evidence

from 60 schools in 13 states that students learn more effectively within

an environment-based context than within a traditional educational framework.

EIC is nationally

recognized as an effective approach to improving student achievement,

reducing classroom discipline problems and increasing community involvement.

With data collected

in 60 schools since 1996, proponents say that EIC has had significant

and measurable positive effects on academic achievement and classroom

behavior. In 458 schools nationwide, 1,378 educators have already been

involved in the program.

Georgia is

the 16th state to join the SEER network, which was established in 1995

and is sponsored by the PEW Charitable Trust and administered by the Council

of Chief State School Officers. Information about SEER can be found at:

www.seer.org .

Applications

are now being mailed out to schools throughout Georgia by the Department

of Education.

Applications

must be postmarked by March 20, to the DOE. Additional information will

be posted on the Environmental Education Alliance site and at www.EEinGEORGIA.org .

SEER will work

with 10 geographically and demographically diverse education partnerships

in Georgia.

Each partnership

will consist of a school and a community organization that work together

to improve student achievement by putting learning into a context with

real world applications.

The EIC program

has two primary goals:

To increase

overall student academic achievement.

To positively

impact student environmental literacy.

In April, advisors

and the committee will select these ten education partnerships from those

applying to model the program. Georgia's EIC committee includes representatives

from the state Environmental Protection Division's Land Protection Branch,

the state Department of Education, the Environmental Education Alliance

of Georgia and the University of Georgia as well as other organizations.

Each partnership

will include four teachers, one administrator and one community organization

representative. Community organizations can be represented by governmental

as well as nongovernmental agencies.

Also, institutions

such as local, state or national parks, or museums, nature centers, zoos,

botanical gardens, corporations, universities and nonprofit organizations

may participate. Schools will be selected from all categories urban, suburban

and rural as well as all grade levels elementary, middle school and high

schools.

In May, the

10 schools that have been selected will be announced.

In the fall

of 2002, the program will be initiated at these 10 schools for five years

and will be followed up with regular meetings and reviews.

Modeling the

EIC program will allow teams of teachers to develop inquiry-based learning

experiences using hands-on and minds-on activities.

Students will

be involved in project-based learning which adapts to their needs and

interests. Using the communities natural surroundings, students can find

learning to be more relevant, meaningful and exciting. This program allows

the traditional boundaries between curriculums to be broken so that interdisciplinary

integration of subject matter can take place.

For information

phone Deron Davis, environmental outreach coordinator for the Georgia

EPD at 404-627-2092 or e-mail [email protected].

You can see

the executive summary of the new report, "Closing the Achievement

Gap: Using the Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning"

at their Internet site www.seer.org .