Did you hear about the "No Child Left Inside" (NCLI) act and movement? We were watching a news program Saturday morning where we learned of the NCLI. Catching my attention, I pulled out and started my laptop for a search. In a nutshell, this is what I have learned so far.
The NCLI Coalition staff spent a day on Capital Hill recently. "Our ultimate goal is to convince Congress to embed the NCLI Act into the reauthorization of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) which we expect Congress to move on this summer!"
This week, members of the MCLI traveled from as far as Hawaii, New Mexico, and Kentucky to educate their Members of Congress about the NCLI Act and evnironmental education's role in strengthening America's competitiveness in the global economy.
There were traning sessions by the National Wildlife Federation’s National Advocacy Center in Washington, D.C., with policy experts from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Earth Day Network, North American Association for Environmental Education, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, National Wildlife Federation and others.
The NCLI's website states that, "The inclusion of NCLI in ESEA will substantially strengthe Anerica's education systems by:
- Incentivizing states to develop State Environmental Literacy Plans to ensure that every student is prepared to understand the environmental challenges of the future;
- Funding professional development for teachers to deliver high quality environmental education and utilize the local environment as an extension of the classroom;
- Improving systems and critical thinking through environmental education which aids in boosting student achievement; and
- Encouraging teachers, administrators, and school leadership to make time and resources available for environmental education for all students.
More:
US Department of Education The Administration's proposal for improving No Child Left Behind (the Elementary and Secondary Education Act).
What do you think about the
NCLI?
