NOAA Education Council

The NOAA Education Council was formed on January 2003 as an outgrowth of a recommendation made by the NOAA Science Advisory Board's Subcommittee on Education, by recommendations derived from the NOAA Program Review Team process, and out of a growing recognition of the need for a formal, yet internal Education Council. The Council consists of 15 senior staff members of NOAA’s Line, Program and Staff Offices. Their primary responsibility is to serve as a forum in NOAA for the discussion of ideas and proposals for NOAA-wide education and outreach activities and priorities and make recommendations to NOAA management on all aspects of NOAA’s educational activities. Council members represent their Offices’ interests and activities dealing with education and outreach programs and serve as the key contact on all issues affecting their organizations' interests. The Education Council is staffed by NOAA’s Office of Education and meets at least quarterly.

Because education and outreach is essential for achieving NOAA’s mission and requires participation from across the agency, NOAA’s Next Generation Strategic Plan (NGSP) established an Engagement Enterprise Objective: An engaged and educated public with an improved capacity to make scientifically informed environmental decisions. Activities under this cross-cutting objective support efforts to advance environmental literacy through outreach and education initiatives. The Education Council and Office of Communications and External Affairs are the entities in NOAA responsible for implementing integrated planning, budgeting, execution, monitoring, reporting, and evaluation to achieve this NGSP Enterprise Objective. This includes the development of any relevant documentation and reporting in support of these activities. Outcomes specific to NOAA’s education portfolio are articulated in NOAA’s Education Strategic Plan and supported by the NOAA Education Council. As environmental literacy and science workforce diversity continue to increase in importance to our society, members of the NOAA Education Council will serve an important role in helping direct NOAA’s efforts along the right path to address this need.

For further information about the NOAA Education Council contact Lisa Iwahara.