Values

Oregon's certification program aligns with a national strategy to recognize and promote a multi-layered system of environmental education professional development. While the most desirable goal is certification, an underlying objective is to improve and expand the field by facilitating the involvement of knowledgeable and skilled practitioners. Effective environmental education produces citizens that are critical decision makers who work individually and collectively to solve current and future environmental issues.

The national certification goals include:

• improving the delivery and professional practice of environmental education;
• creating a sustainable system (practical, do-able administration of process, and not reliant on grant funding); and
• attracting competent practitioners to participate effectively in the field.

Benefits

The Certification Program's Key benefits are:

• enhances opportunities for growth and serves as support for professionals in the field;
• attracts new environmental educators to the profession including high school graduates preparing for college level courses as well as enhancing the skills of experienced educators;
• provides a standard that identifies professionals who have demonstrated a thorough knowledge of environmental education principles, practices and skills;
• aligns environmental education practices in Oregon with national standards;
• integrates certification with the advancement of the sustainable schools initiative to integrate sustainability education into all K-12 curricula; and
• links secondary students to after school participation in course work that will prepare them for higher education.

Vision, Purpose, & Goals

The vision is to advance the environmental education profession in Oregon and thereby promote an environmentally sustainable society. The certification program will use the well-established national effort of the North American Association for Environmental Education Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental Education.

The purpose is to create and sustain a pool of people who are competent in fostering environmentally literate citizens.

The goals are to:

• define a standard that identifies the knowledge, skills and abilities that environmental education professionals must acquire and demonstrate to effectively apply educational principles, practices and skills;
• design a sustainable professional development process that can be implemented to improve competency and effectiveness of environmental educators; and
• motivate environmental educators to continue their professional development and excel in the field of environmental education.

Partners & Stakeholders

• K-12 Teachers
• Colleges & Universities
• Oregon Zoo
• Oregon Department of Education
• Representatives from statewide agencies and industry
• Informal educators