UW–Madison’s Noah Feinstein is quoted in a recent report from E&E News examining efforts by public school educators in Portland, Oregon, to teach about global warming in ways that far surpasses lessons on climate models or atmospheric conditions.
The report explains: “The school district is moving forward with a curriculum that will make climate justice a core component of the K-12 experience — a decision that sets Portland on a path that remains largely uncharted in the greater U.S. public education system.”
As E&E News notes, the topic of climate change is often politically charged, with Feinstein explaining the difficulties associated with integrating climate into the sprawling U.S. public education systems.
Feinstein is a climate education expert and an associate professor with the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
As is the case with the topic of evolution, Feinstein tells E&E News that “climate change is a politically difficult brand for teachers. And schools are under a lot of political scrutiny.”
Feinstein adds that while many educators and schools around the country have begun teaching students about climate, there aren’t many places where districts are “systematically supporting this” — as is the case in Portland.
On top of that, Feinstein said Portland’s explicit focus on climate justice — rather than climate change alone — sets the district apart because it aims to ensure that “everyone, especially the people who are the most affected, has access to this sort of curriculum.”
Feinstein also tells E&E News that developing and implementing an additional curriculum requires a significant allotment of resources, which often doesn’t bode well in schools strapped for time, teachers and cash.
To learn much more about this important but nuanced topic, check out the entire E&E News report here.