Talking Points

Background: The No Oregon Child Left Inside Coalition is a statewide coalition of environmental, natural resource, recreational and educational groups including teachers, environmental educators and others. The Coalition was formed to alert Oregon's legislature and the public to the need for our public schools to devote more resources and attention to environmental education.

Goal: The Coalition is working to pass the No Oregon Child Left Inside Act during the 2009 Oregon legislative session. The Act would provide new funding for environmental education, particularly to develop a common statewide vision, train teachers and to develop a statewide environmental literacy plan.

Key Points on No Oregon Child Left Inside:

1. Environmental education is critical now because of the complex environmental challenges confronting Oregon, our nation and the world, including human-induced climate change, air and water pollution and the loss of sensitive habitats.

2. We will be passing these complicated problems on to future generations. We must give them a solid understanding of these problems and the basic tools to overcome them and make informed choices in their own lives.

3. Environmental education must not be considered merely an optional topic. Understanding the environment and our natural resources is a critical need for our young people.

4. The No Oregon Child Left Inside legislation will provide new resources and incentives for enhancing environmental education. It will not add any new requirements for schools, school systems, teachers or students.

5. The new funding and incentives to expand environmental education will give school systems and environmental education program providers new tools to improve such offerings.

6. Environmental education can generally be incorporated into courses already being taught including science or social studies classes.

7. The legislation will help establish relevant, rigorous standards for environmental-related instruction and will help train teachers to use the best methods to teach these topics.

8. Beyond the critical importance of teaching young people about the planet and its challenges, research has shown that environmental education leads to improved student performance. Students enjoy learning about the environment and become more engaged with their schoolwork.