ClimeTime: Climate Education in Washington State

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Tom R. Hulst, Elizabeth Schmitz & Deb L. Morrison 
September 9, 2024

The Changing Climate is a Global Public Policy Challenge

Global climate change is an example of a “wicked problem.” Solving wicked problems requires civil discourse, analysis of an issue from multiple perspectives and consensus building to arrive at mutually agreeable solutions. Working at the local level ensures community values are reflected in decision-making, which builds consensus. The impacts of climate change touch more people daily as seen in news articles about wildfires, flooding and drought.

All industries are affected. Those feeling the impacts most notably include insurance, emergency response, transit, energy, education and land-use planning. Threats from a changing climate require new partnerships between policymakers and administrators. We must now learn in ways that are interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral. Effective mitigation and adaptation require clear goal setting, complex problem-solving and multiple iterations focusing on building hope and collective action.

The scientific community has reached a consensus about the causes and impacts of the changing climate, documented most recently in The Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Policymakers and administrators must understand how a changing climate impacts their communities and partner with others to take local measures that mitigate and adapt to changing conditions.

Climate Education is an important element of Climate Policy

Climate education plays a crucial role in shaping effective climate policy and such learning occurs lifelong, life-wide, and life-deep. Individuals, policymakers and communities are empowered to make informed decisions when they understand the science of, and civic connections to, community impacts from climate change. Climate education promotes scientific literacy, fosters systems thinking and improves people’s understanding of complex climate phenomena, such as greenhouse gas emissions, sea-level rise and ocean acidification. It also builds an understanding of the complex social structures, economies and cultures at the intersection of this science. Environmental and climate justice movements have documented that historically underserved communities are most significantly impacted by environmental pollution and climate change.

Integrating climate, environmental, sustainability and outdoor learning into school curricula fosters stewardship and sustainable behaviors from an early age. Students learn about climate justice, conservation and the interconnectedness of global ecosystems. Youth engage in action to solve environmental problems in their communities. Students are learning critical competencies for participation in emerging green workforce occupations. Climate education provides a science and engineering context for communicating about and solving problems that are local, place-based and reflective of the communities where students live. When people of all ages grasp the impact of their actions on the environment, they are more likely to engage in evidence-based discussions and contribute to community-based solutions.

Climate Education in Washington State

Washington leads climate change education policy in the United States. In the fall of 2017, E3 Washington and other groups met with Governor Jay Inslee to outline budget and policy strategies linking climate education to the National Science Standards. The legislature enacted these strategies in the Governor’s Supplemental Budget, and Washington became the first state to formalize climate education through a funding proviso (SB 6032, Section 501).

The funds subsidize ClimeTime, a state-led network and grant program for professional development about teaching the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), emphasizing climate education. ClimeTime is led by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in collaboration with the University of Washington’s Institute for Science and Math Education (UW-ISME).

Launched in 2019 with $4 million for the first year, and funded most years since at $3 million per year, ClimeTime has had over $24 million to support significant educator capacity-building. In 2021, the state added $300,000 annually for the Climate Teacher Education Collaborative, administered by UW-ISME. This supports pre-service teacher education capacity-building for climate teaching and learning through collaborations across higher education faculty and with others involved in climate learning and action (SB 5092, Section 606).

ClimeTime grants serve Educational Service Districts, Tribal schools and community-based nonprofits. ClimeTime partners design assessment tasks and evaluation strategies, lead workshops and develop instructional materials.

Examples of Effective Climate Science Education in Washington

At the heart of ClimeTime is teacher capacity-building for K12 science education and sharing resources with others for local emulation and adaptation. Grantees collaboratively develop and share lesson plans and more on the Washington Hub of the National Open Educational Resources Commons, licensed for reuse and remixing. Aligned with the NGSS, they are relevant to educators nationwide. Many are designed for audiences historically underserved by science education, including students in special education, emergent multilingual learners, students in rural areas, Indigenous students and Students of Color. Climate justice learning design practices are used to adapt learning to the diverse student populations across the state, framing learning in ways that best support different community needs.

The following case studies reflect the unique assets of the communities served. The ClimeTime website includes additional project portraits to explore.

Project Portrait 1: Chief Leschi Tribal School: Chief Leschi Schools

Project Portrait 2: Central Washington: Our Climate is Changing, Why Aren’t We?

Part II of this article will share more ClimeTime examples, review outcomes after five years of funding, consider next steps and discuss how the network is shifting community resilience.

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Authors: Tom R. Hulst received an MA in public administration from Washington State University, and was policy advisor to Washington Governor Daniel J. Evans; Elizabeth Schmitz possesses an MS in Geoscience from Western Kentucky University, and is the Environmental and Sustainability Education Program Supervisor at OSPI; Deb L. Morrison, PhD is a learning scientist with the Institute for Science and Math Education, University of Washington; OSPI ClimeTime team members include Johanna Brown, Kimberley Astle, Lori Henrickson, Korey Peterson, and Jacob Parikh.

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