[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 24 (Thursday, February 12, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S987-S988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Whitehouse, 
        Mr. Heinrich, and Mr. Bennet):
  S. 492. A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 in order to improve environmental literacy to better prepare 
students for postsecondary education and careers, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I am reintroducing bipartisan 
legislation to provide support for environmental education in our 
Nation's classrooms. I thank Senators Kirk, Durbin, Whitehouse, 
Heinrich, and Bennet for joining as original cosponsors of the No Child 
Left Inside Act of 2015.
  Given the major environmental challenges we face today, it is 
important to prioritize teaching our young people about their natural 
world. Preparing the next generation to be stewards of our natural 
environment not only equips them with important skills and knowledge 
but also, as studies have shown, enhances achievement levels in science 
and other core subjects and increases student engagement. Another key 
benefit is that it promotes healthy lifestyles by encouraging kids to 
spend more time outside.
  For more than 3 decades, environmental education has been a growing 
part of effective instruction in America's schools. Responding to the 
need to improve student achievement and prepare students for the 21st 
century economy, many states and schools throughout the Nation now 
offer some form of environmental education.
  Indeed, according to the National Association for Environmental 
Education, 47 States and the District of Columbia have taken steps 
towards developing plans to integrate environmental literacy into their 
statewide educational initiatives. In Rhode Island, organizations such 
as the Rhode Island Environmental Education Association, Roger Williams 
Park Zoo, Save the Bay, the Nature Conservancy, and the Audubon 
Society, as well as countless schools and teachers, are offering 
educational and outdoor experiences that many children may never 
otherwise have, helping inspire them to learn. In partnership with the 
Rhode Island Department of Education, these organizations have 
developed a statewide environmental literacy plan that is now being put 
into action.
  Yet, environmental education is facing a significant challenge, and 
remains out of reach for too many children. With many schools being 
forced to scale back or eliminate environmental programs, fewer and 
fewer students are able to take part in related classroom instruction 
and field investigations, however effective or in demand these programs 
are.
  The No Child Left Inside Act would increase environmental literacy 
among elementary and secondary students by encouraging and providing 
assistance to States for the development and implementation of 
environmental literacy plans and promoting professional development for 
teachers on how to integrate environmental literacy and field 
experiences into their instruction.

[[Page S988]]

  The legislation would also support partnerships with high-need school 
districts to initiate, expand, or improve their environmental education 
curriculum, and for replication and dissemination of effective 
practices. Finally, the legislation would support interagency 
coordination and reporting on environmental education opportunities 
across the Federal Government. This legislation has broad support among 
national and state environmental and educational groups.
  In addition to the benefits that accrue to students, business leaders 
also increasingly believe that an environmentally literate workforce is 
critical for long-term success. Indeed, according to a 2011 survey by 
the GreenBiz Group and the National Environmental Education Foundation, 
65 percent of respondents valued environmental and sustainability 
knowledge as a factor in making hiring decisions, and 68 percent 
believed that the importance of this knowledge would continue to grow 
in the future. We must ensure that our students are prepared with the 
knowledge that employers are looking for, and that increasingly 
includes environmental literacy.
  For these reasons, I encourage my colleagues to cosponsor the 
bipartisan No Child Left Inside Act and to work together to include its 
provisions into the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act.
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