Environmental Education & Environmental Literacy in DC

According to the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), "Environmental literacy is the development of knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to make informed decisions concerning the relationships among natural and urban systems.

An environmentally literate person:

- Discusses and describes ecological and environmental systems and human impacts on these systems

- Engages in hands-on, outdoor learning experiences that involve discovery, inquiry, and problem solving

- Formulates question and analyzes information pertaining to his or her surrounding environment

- Understands how to take actions that respect, restore, protect, and sustain the health and well-being of human communities and environmental systems

An environmental literacy plan creates the framework for standards, achievement, professional development, assessment, and leadership for individuals and organizations to thrive and achieve innovation in education. As described in the 2011 Healthy Schools Act Amendments, the DC Environmental Literacy Plan includes:

- Relevant teaching and learning standards adopted by the State Board of Education

- Professional development opportunities for teachers

- How to measure environmental literacy

- Governmental and non-governmental entities that can assist schools

- Implementation of the plan"

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To learn more, visit 
 https://osse.dc.gov/service/environmental-literacy-program-elp or https://osse.dc.gov/page/about-dc-environmental-literacy-plan