[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 66 (Thursday, April 20, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1295-S1296]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself, Ms. Collins, and Mr. Merkley):
  S. 1239. A bill to promote environmental literacy; to the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. REED. Madam President, today, I am introducing important 
environmental literacy legislation, the No Child Left Inside Act, along 
with Senator Collins and Senator Merkley and Congressman Sarbanes. Our 
bipartisan, bicameral bill focuses on the fundamental goal of public 
education, which is to equip the next generation with the knowledge, 
skills, and experiences to understand the world around them and their 
ability to shape it. In the face of a global climate crisis, it is 
essential that all students graduate with environmental literacy skills 
to secure and sustain their future.
  Environmental education provides broad benefits. It has been shown to 
enhance student achievement in science and other core subjects and to 
increase student engagement and critical thinking skills. Moreover, it 
promotes healthy lifestyles by encouraging kids to get outside.
  Yet, environmental education often gets crowded out of the school 
day. In a Rhode Island Environmental Education Association survey, 
teachers identified challenges to integrating environmental education 
into an already crowded curriculum and ranked professional development 
as most helpful to remedying the situation. Some of the practices put 
in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have shown real promise. 
As the pandemic took hold, Rhode Island's environmental educators 
sprang into action, creating outdoor learning support opportunities and 
virtual programs for students as they did school from home. We need to 
build on these successes and build stronger connections between 
environmental education organizations and our public schools. That is 
what the No Child Left Inside Act aims to do.
  The No Child Left Inside Act establishes a new grant program to 
support States in the development and implementation of environmental 
literacy plans to integrate environmental education and field 
experiences into the core academic program in public schools, with an 
emphasis on professional development in environmental education for 
teachers. With this funding, States will provide grants for 
partnerships between school districts and

[[Page S1296]]

parks, natural resource management agencies, educator preparation 
programs, museums, or other organizations with expertise in engaging 
young people with real world examples of environmental and scientific 
concepts. The legislation also establishes a pilot program for outdoor 
school education programs that offer intensive, hands-on learning 
experiences, such as residential programs and summer camps.
  The No Child Left Inside Act will also help coordinate Federal 
efforts on environmental education. It requires the Secretary of 
Education to establish an environmental literacy advisory panel to 
coordinate and report on environmental literacy activities across 
Federal Agencies. It also will provide easy access to environmental 
education resources through the Department of Education's website.
  The No Child Left Inside Act has the support of nearly 100 
organizations, representing educators, parks, museums, environmental 
organizations, and community-based organizations at the national, 
State, and local levels. They stand ready and willing to partner with 
schools across the Nation. The Federal Government should be a partner 
too. That is why I urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring and 
passing the No Child Left Inside Act.
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