TPA Article (October 2006)

School Forests: Part of a Larger Solution to Public School Funding?

PART TWO-

Nick Hylla

Wisconsin Forest Resources Education Alliance (WFREA)

In a previous writing, I briefly outlined how school forests fit into a broader solution to public school funding. The article described a vision for public school classrooms that has the potential to improve student performance, reduce the cost of public education, and produce citizens that understand the issues that face our communities and landscapes.

My proposal is that by collaborating with other education movements and working with Wisconsin school districts, we can offer a more effective and less expensive learning experience for K-12 students.

Why is public education important to forest stakeholders? The future of forestry in Wisconsin depends on an informed public. An education system that produces knowledgeable, experienced, and engaged students is necessary to help the social aspects of sustainable forestry catch up to the science.

The vision I offered for public school classrooms is as follows:

Wisconsin public schools continue their outstanding record of achievement in reading, math, and science. Districts continue to place priority on teaching and testing these important subjects. Districts improve retention and provide students with comprehensive, real-life learning experiences by creating and sustaining interdisciplinary learning environments focused on locally relevant issues. Students are involved in economics, art, literature, society, and environment through projects and experiences connected to their school, community, and region. Districts take charge of their curriculum through teacher training and collaboration and by developing partnerships with regionally active agencies and industries.

The two underlined sentences in the vision represent aspects of public school education that we have the ability to influence.

Let’s begin by recognizing that public education is a complex bureaucracy with multiple centers of control. It is necessary that we focus our energies in areas that are both prepared for change and are in need of expertise. Momentum for change and evidence of need currently exist in the following areas: 1) the development/adoption of curriculum, 2) student assessment, and 3) teacher in-service training.

• Curriculum –Textbooks are getting bigger and more expensive. Textbooks have less and less information relevant to local communities and landscapes. Students do more memorization learning. Students have less time to work collaboratively. Students spend less time involved in projects dealing with local issues.

• Student Assessment – Testing is increasingly driving instruction. Students focus their learning on test-taking and tested information. Retention of information is poor. Higher level skills are not addressed. The number of course s that schools offer is shrinking. Teachers have less control of their curriculum. Teachers have less opportunity to collaborate with each other.

• Teacher In-Service Training – Teachers are responsible for designing their own training plan. School districts encourage teachers to pursue training. Teacher training is decentralized. Many institutions, organizations, and agencies offer training opportunities to teachers.

The above trends provide opportunity for alternative education strategies. One education strategy that can fill this need is found in many education movements: environmental education, experiential education, sustainability education, project-based education, place-based education, integrated science education, etc. Each of these movements embraces the idea that students benefit from an interdisciplinary learning environment (think school forests) where they can inquire, apply, theorize, test, collaborate, discuss, and debate.

Forestry education, as part of a comprehensive, multi-institutional strategy, is well-placed to fill current needs. Forestry education has effective lesson guides that are aligned to Wisconsin Model Academic Standards. We have an effective teacher training program that offers university credit and advancement opportunities to teachers. We have committed funding sources from the state and the forest industry. We have a school forest program with 346 registered school forests. We have agency and industry expertise across the state. And most importantly, forests and forestry are central to the health of Wisconsin rural and urban communities.

By joining forces with other education movements, we have the potential to strengthen our public schools and prepare the next generation to meet the challenges on the horizon.