It鈥檚 Earth Day and I鈥檓 writing this blog after hearing a story about teaching climate change on NPR, 鈥�.鈥�
More than 80% of parents in the US support the teaching of climate change. And that support crosses political divides, according to the results of an exclusive new NPR/Ipsos poll: Whether they have children or not, two-thirds of Republicans and 9 in 10 Democrats agree that the subject needs to be taught in school.
A separate poll of teachers found that they are even more supportive, in theory鈥�86% agree that climate change should be taught.
But when it comes down to the actual teaching of climate change, the news is mixed. Most teachers say they don鈥檛 teach climate change because they feel it鈥檚 outside their subject area. Yet we English language arts teachers know better.
Three 楼凤天堂 authors (Richard Beach, Jeff Share, Allen Webb) demonstrate how we can address this subject with 鈥渨ith enormous ethical, social, political, and cultural dimensions鈥� within our own curriculum. 聽illustrates how the can come to life when we fit the subject into existing courses and use already available materials. The book gives teachers tools and teaching ideas to support building climate change material into their own classrooms and features a . You can listen to the authors talk about the book in .
But I鈥檓 writing about teaching climate change not just because today is Earth Day or because 楼凤天堂 has a resource on the issue but because 2/3 of the teachers surveyed don鈥檛 teach about climate change because they worry about parent complaints if they do.
Their worry is not unfounded for 鈥渟cience battles鈥� continue to be fought in many communities and states. In fact, numerous state bills have been introduced over the past several years to prevent the teaching of climate change: in Connecticut, Iowa, Arizona, Maine, South Dakota, Virginia, and Florida. While bills in nine of the states have not moved forward, 聽which prescribes “balanced” teaching for “controversial” science subjects has not yet been defeated.
Florida has become a hotbed for science battles and challenges to teaching pedagogy and . Because of this, 楼凤天堂 is a member of the 聽whose other members include the , the , the , , , the , the , the , the , and the . As a group, we offer guidance, support, and resources for those who support the rights of Florida students to read, learn, and express themselves freely. We work together to:
- Monitor proposed legislation (2019 UPDATE: Florida Citizens Alliance has sponsored new legislation). Check out .
- Track book challenges with support from the data aggregation platform .
- Share resources with administrators .
- Counsel educators confronting challenges, including guidance for .
- Mobilize the Florida education community to advocate for policy and legislative reforms.
A 2017 mentions 聽bill which was signed into law in June 26,2017, and which permits any county resident鈥攏ot just any parent with a child in the country’s public schools, as was the case previously鈥攖o file a complaint about instructional materials in that county’s public schools and stipulates that the school will have to appoint a hearing officer to hear the complaint rather than following previously established reconsideration procedures. This legislation is 聽with the 聽leading the charge.
The irony when it comes to complaints about teaching climate change in Florida is that, according to the Forbes article and a , Florida is one of the states most vulnerable to the bad effects of climate change. The study examined economic damage as a function of crime, energy, storms, human mortality, and labor. A key finding is that there is an economic cost of about 1.2% of gross domestic product (GDP) for every 1掳C rise in temperature. The study found that the Southern states in the United States are most vulnerable, particularly Florida鈥攕ee聽
My Earth Day wish is that more teachers will (as the states) . . .
- resist the politicization of climate science by evaluating curricular texts for scientific credibility;
- lead students to engage thoughtfully with texts focusing on social and political debates surrounding climate change; and
- work with teachers in other fields to implement interdisciplinary instruction on climate change and sustainability.
I hope that more teachers will be able to stand up against those who challenge and would prevent the teaching of this and other important topics that truly affect our lives. The and the or other Defenders groups we can set up in your state are poised to stand with you. Surely, we owe our students the opportunity to wrestle with聽this subject that will no doubt affect their futures.
Listen and discuss as teachers talk about teaching about climate change in the .
Read more about the Florida Education Defenders in this blog,