EE Publications Developed or Supported by EPA
All of the resources listed are available free of charge. Unless otherwise noted, the resources can be ordered on line from EPA's National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) at http://www.epa.nscep/ or by telephone at 1-800-490-9198. Several resources also can be viewed or downloaded online.
EE Guidelines
- Leading the Way to Environmental Literacy and Quality: National Guidelines for EE
Article discusses how the guidelines ensure that materials, programs, and practitioners are of the highest possible quality. Produced by EETAP. - EE Materials: Guidelines for Excellence (EPA 171-B-04-003)
Guidelines for developing and evaluating EE materials. Produced by NAAEE.
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Purchase additional copies from NAAEE - Materiales de Educacion Ambiental: Pautas para la Excelencia (Spanish) (171-B-07-001)
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- EE Materials: Guidelines for Excellence - The Workbook (EPA 171-B-00-001)
A self-guided workbook that teaches individuals how to effectively use the materials guidelines. Produced by NAAEE.
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Purchase additional copies from NAAEE - Excellence in EE - Guidelines for Learning (K-12) (EPA 171-B-04-004)
Guidelines for learner performance and achievements in K-4th, 5-8th, and 9-12th grades and for using EE as a means for meeting standards set by the traditional disciplines. Produced by NAAEE.
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Purchase additional copies from NAAEE - Excellence in EE: Guidelines for Learning (K-12); Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool (EPA 171-B-04-005)
Summarizes the learner guidelines and provides a self-assessment checklist for determining the degree to which curricula and programs meet these guidelines. Produced by NAAEE.
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Purchase additional copies from NAAEE - Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators (EPA 171-B-04-006) (Overview of the document)
Guidelines for what educators need to know to effectively teach EE. Produced by NAAEE.
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Purchase additional copies from NAAEE - Nonformal EE Programs: Guidelines for Excellence (EPA 171-B-04-001) (Overview of the document)
Guidelines for developing and administering quality EE programs that take place outside the classroom in nonformal settings, for example, state and national parks and forests, zoos, museums, and nature centers. Produced by NAAEE.
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Purchase additional copies from NAAEE - Programas De Educacion Ambiental No Formal: Pautas Para La Excelencia (Spanish) (171-B-05-001)
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- Evaluating the Content of Web Sites: Guidelines for Educators
Guidelines to help educators evaluate the quality and usefulness of Web sites for educational purposes. - Evaluating the Structure of Web Sites: Guidelines for Educators
Guidelines to help educators communicate to web designers the needs of their users to improve the educational effectiveness of the site. Available in PDF [113KB].
EE Resources
- Distance Education: A User Friendly Learning Option
Article discusses the benefits of on-line learning and provides information about two relatively new on-line courses on the “Fundamentals of EE” and “Applied EE Program Evaluation.” Produced by EETAP. - EE Collection: A Review of Resources for Educators
Identifies and evaluates environmental education materials using EE Materials: Guidelines for Excellence. Produced by NAAEE.
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3 - Explore, Think, Serve, Wonder, and Achieve: Teaching with the Future in Mind (EE Poster) (EPA 171-H-02-001)
Produced by the Environmental Education and Training Partnership, the colorful poster illustrates how environmental education promotes student achievement in all subjects by building on their natural curiosity and motivation to learn. Includes ideas and resources for bringing environmental education into the classroom.
Order from EPA NSCEP - National Environmental Literacy Assessment Project: Year 1, National Baseline Study of Middle Grade Students.
Produced under a research grant funded by EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and administered by NAAEE, this research report provides instrumentation to measure environmental literacy and baseline environmental literacy data for 6th and 8th graders across the United States. - What's Fair Got To Do With It: Diversity Cases From Environmental Educators
Produced by WestEd, in collaboration with the Environmental Education and Training Partnership and the North American Association for Environmental Education, provides a collection of case studies that offer real-world examples of how cultural differences can affect the implementation of environmental education programs.
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Purchase additional copies from NAAEE
EE Funding
- Environmental Education Grant Profiles
Summaries of projects funded under EPA's Environmental Education Grants Program in Fiscal Years:- 2007 (EPA 171-R-08-001)
[PDF, 1.8 MB, 27 pages, about PDF] - 2006 (EPA 171-R-07-001)
[PDF, 1 MB, 55 pages, about PDF] - 2005 (EPA 171-R-06-001)
[PDF, 1.1 MB, 51 pages, about PDF] - 2004 (EPA 171-R-05-001)
[PDF, 1 MB, 55 pages, about PDF] - 2003 (EPA 171-R-04-001)
[PDF, 1 MB, 62 pages, about PDF] - 2002 (EPA 171-R-03-001)
[PDF, 544 KB, 65 pages, about PDF] - 2001 (EPA 171-R-01-003)
[PDF, 828 KB, 69 pages, about PDF]
Order from EPA NSCEP - 2000 (EPA 171-R-00-002)
[PDF, 612 KB, 57 pages, about PDF]
Order from EPA NSCEP - 1999 (EPA 171-R-99-003)
[PDF, 465 KB, 64 pages, about PDF]
Order from EPA NSCEP
- 2007 (EPA 171-R-08-001)
- Tips for Developing Successful Grant Applications (EPA 171-F-99-001)
Suggestions for preparing competitive proposals under EPA's Environmental Education Grants Program.
EE and Education Reform
- Education and the Environment: Partners for Change
Article discusses how EE can bring about systemic changes in education by using interdisciplinary, hands-on, and project-based learning to replace traditional instruction. Produced by EETAP. - EE Certification: Making Best Practice Standard Practice
Article discusses the advancements and challenges in state and national EE certification efforts. Produced by EETAP. - Setting High Standards: EE Builds a Home in Teacher Education Accreditation
Article discusses efforts to develop EE standards for accrediting college and university teacher education programs. Produced by EETAP. - EEducator: Advancing Education Reform (EPA 171-B-99-001)
Detailed description of EEducator: Advancing Education Reform
Produced by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), a collection of articles that examine how EE can be used to advance student learning (topics include instruction, professional development, assessment, and standards).
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Order from EPA NSCEP - EE: Moving into the Education Mainstream
Produced by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the publication explores how environmental education can be linked to current movements in education to improve student achievement. - Advancing Education Through Environmental Literacy (EPA 171-K-04-900)
Produced by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the publication examines how education and the environment can be linked to advance student learning. Includes descriptions of school programs and research documenting how test scores have improved by using the environment to teach in subject areas such as social studies, science, reading and math.
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Meeting Standards Naturally (EPA 171-K-04-900)
Produced by the Environmental Education and Training Partnership, the CD-ROM examines how teaching about the environment can be used to achieve national and state education standards for core disciplines. It provides 43 sample K-12 curriculum activities that demonstrate how environmental lessons can support specific grade level education standards and promote environmental literacy.
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EE Knowledge, Status, and History
- The Roots of EE: How the Past Supports the Future
Article reviews the many and varied events that have shaped environmental education and given the field its diverse, resilient, and inclusive nature. Produced by EETAP. - EE Program Profiles
Article highlights a rich array of EE programs such as an interdisciplinary elementary curriculum that emphasizes project-based learning outdoors, a high school wetlands restoration project, and statewide initiatives in CA and WI. Produced by EETAP. - Setting the Standard, Measuring Results, Celebrating Successes:
A Report to Congress on the Status of Environmental Education in the U.S. (EPA 240-R-05-001)
Produced by the National Environmental Education Advisory Council, the report discusses the standards established, the results measured, and the successes achieved since passage of the National Environmental Education Act of 1990.
View online [PDF, 2.2 MB, 55 pages, about PDF]
Order from EPA NSCEP - Executive Summary: Advancing Environmental Education at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: An Analysis of Program Characteristics, Workforce, Needs, and Obstacles, February 2005
Produced under a National Network for Environmental Management Studies (NNEMS) Fellowship, this report describes the results of an analysis conducted at EPA's Headquarters offices to inventory the current environmental education programs and provide recommendations for how EE can be advanced at EPA.
Executive Summary [PDF, 84 KB, 5 pages, about PDF]
- EE At A Glance (EPA 171-B-98-004)
Produced by the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and NAAEE, the brochure provides an introduction to EE with information on status, resources, and success stories.
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Purchase additional copies by contacting NACD by telephone at
1-800-825-5547, extension 32 - National Report Cards on Environmental Attitudes, Knowledge and
Behavior
Produced by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) and Roper Starch Worldwide, a series of ten reports which examine what Americans know about the environment and how that knowledge relates to their attitudes and daily actions. - Environmental Literacy in the U.S.
Detailed description of Environmental Literacy in the U.S.
A review of existing research that seeks to determine the level of environmental literacy nationwide. Produced by Southern Illinois University and NAAEE.
Purchase a copy from NAAEE - Elementary School Teacher's Beliefs About Teaching Environmental Education
Detailed description of Elementary School Teacher's Beliefs About Teaching Environmental Education
Produced by the Academy for Educational Development, a quantitative study of elementary school teachers trained in environmental education that explores how they have overcome barriers to teaching EE in their classrooms.
Purchase a copy from NAAEE