OUTDOOR EDUCATION CAN BRIGHTEN STUDENTS’ LIVES
As a tornado of very excited 9-year-olds from Escondido exited a crowded school bus and shattered the tranquility of the Elfin Forest, I did my best to focus their attention and prepare them for the explorations and scientific discoveries that awaited them. The tornado couldn’t be conquered. The teacher sheepishly apologized on her students’ behalf. “It’s been a wild class this school year,” she told me.
I gathered a boisterous group and led them onto the trail. The nature gods were kind: a mole, blind to the horde coming its way, casually walked to the middle of the trail right in their path and stopped. Hushed sounds of awe instantly befell them, and then a rush of curiosity followed: “What is it?” “What’s it doing?” Suddenly they wanted to know all about the habitat it lives in. “That’s the most focused I’ve seen them all school year,” their teacher told me.
Nature has a way of engaging even the wildest children. Countless times, teachers have told us at The Escondido Creek Conservancy that a student who struggles to pay attention in the classroom is suddenly transformed into a model student when the learning takes place outdoors. These experiences — the ability to learn outdoors — should be something all children can experience. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. But we can change that.
The Escondido Creek Conservancy launched the California Statewide Outdoor Learning movement in 2020. It aims to secure permanent state funding for standards-aligned outdoor education opportunities so that all of California’s nearly 6 million public school children can experience outdoor learning at every grade level and that such opportunities are an integral part of California public education. It’s a big hairy goal, but it’s well worth the investment.
Research has identified several incredible benefits associated with learning outdoors. My colleague Jennifer Imm compiled a literature review of these benefits, including deeper civic and community engagement as well as significant improvements to mental, physical and emotional health. Especially after a protracted pandemic that wreaked havoc on children’s mental well-being and increased their risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, an investment in outdoor education would pay dividends as it reduces the burden on our health care system and brightens the future of our children.
California is the nation’s most populous state, yet we rank near the bottom (44th out of 50) in terms of student success, school quality and student safety in a 2022 nationwide report by Scholaroo. We can do better. Fortunately, another notable benefit of outdoor education is improved academic achievement. Schools that have integrated environmental education programs outperform comparable schools that do not. If we can provide standardsaligned curricula in nature at every grade level, California can remediate its academic ranking.
While outdoor education provides a host of impressive benefits, unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to receive such programs and the benefits they afford. There’s a serious equity issue here for a variety of reasons.
For one, because school funding is determined in part by property taxes, some schools have the resources to provide their students with a surfeit of outdoor programs, while others struggle to fix leaky ceilings and broken windows. Even when the funding is there, outdoor education providers may lack the human and financial resources to meet the demand. Environmental education in San Diego County is a microcosm for the rest of
I gathered the boisterous group and led them onto the trail. The nature gods were kind.
the state. Lots of great work is being done, but there are gaps and overlaps regarding which classrooms receive programming. One teacher might land multiple field trips for their students, while another is getting nothing. In the Escondido Union School District, The Escondido Creek Conservancy is part of a consortium of conservation partners working together to avoid that issue. Jointly, we and our partners provide all Escondido Union School District K-8 students with outdoor programming in a coordinated fashion, and students are reaping the benefits. It’s a near-perfect example of what could be possible if funding were made consistently available, here and throughout the state. Unreliable funding leaves good programs at risk of being lost from one school year to the next, depriving kids of rewarding opportunities.
As a grassroots movement, California Statewide Outdoor Learning needs your help. If you believe that outdoor education and the associated benefits should be a right, not a privilege, please help us make this dream a reality for California’s public schools by endorsing California Statewide Outdoor Learning. With your endorsement, a healthier, brighter, more equitable future for our children and for California is on the horizon.
Breen,