BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Update on Education Outreach's Outdoor Classroom Program.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Receive information on educational programming at the District's outdoor classrooms.
Body
SUMMARY:
Background
In August 2017, the Education Outreach team was reorganized under the new Water Education & Volunteer Program under the Office of Civic Engagement. The Education Outreach project's main goal is to engage students and youth from Pre-K through high school and college primarily through in-classroom lessons and presentations, but also through outdoor classroom tours, summer camp programming, library visits, District open houses, and youth-focused events.
During the 2017-18 school year, program staff reached over 13,400 students and 650 teachers in over 420 classrooms. This included 24 tours at our outdoor classrooms, including additional support of youth tours at the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center (SVAWPC), which has been integrated into, and streamlined under, the Water Education & Volunteer Program. Education Outreach staff also supported more than 120 First Lego League student teams and hosted three separate teacher trainings focused on environmental education to further the reach of students through their teachers. In addition, over 3,700 contacts were made through public outreach events staffed by the Education Outreach Team. Overall, the program engaged with 17,783 contacts.
Education Outreach Team
New to the team this year is Mera Burton, the program's new Education Outreach Coordinator. Ms. Burton is an experienced and credentialed STEM teacher who taught math and science in both Palo Alto & East San Jose schools and who most recently ran NASA's educational outreach programs prior to coming to the District. The team is further complemented by Janet Hedley, a veteran environmental sciences educator and Marta Lugo, Supervising Program Administrator, who has led water education and outrea...
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