Over the past year and a half, Ten Strands has spearheaded initiatives that use an equity-informed and data-driven approach to scaling environmental and climate action in California schools. These efforts have focused on collecting data and compiling data sets focused on scale, equity and need, broader context factors, practices at the grassroots level for both school sites and community-based partners, and an examination of buildings and grounds. At their core, all of these data projects aim to prioritize underserved communities and address environmental injustices.
Why Data Matters for Scaling and Implementation
The movement for environmental and climate literacy and action in California’s TK–12 schools is transitioning from established foundational elements for widespread change (e.g., California Blueprint for Environmental Literacy (2015), California Policy and Expectations for Environmental and Climate Action in Schools) to focusing on scaling up implementation in every school across the state.
Data Projects
Data Initiative for Environmental and Climate Action in California’s TK–12 Schools
This data initiative is led by Ten Strands, in collaboration with UndauntedK12 and with support from the University of California, Berkeley’s Data Science Discovery Program. The initiative has developed an interactive database that supports scaling environmental and climate action implementation in California’s schools using an equity-informed and data-driven approach.
This initiative helps provide an understanding of the scale of the education system, describes issues related to equity and need, and establishes baseline data for tracking and measuring indicators of progress on environmental and climate action. The data set provides information about potential broader context factors within municipal and county jurisdictions that might be barriers or opportunities to advancing progress. Explore the district action data, and visit: Statewide Analysis and 250 Largest School District Analysis
How to get involved:
- Webinars: To share more information about the findings of this data project, a series of webinars will be held in the summer and fall of 2024. Stay tuned for registration information!
- Data validation: We encourage those who work in districts, schools, and counties to visit our data validation page and help us validate the data.
CAELI Site Survey for Environmental Literacy
“Peaks and Valleys: A Landscape Study of Environmental Literacy Implementation in and out of California’s TK–12 Classrooms” is an extensive survey of California’s teachers and school site administrators. In partnership with The Lawrence Hall of Science, Ten Strands and CAELI members constructed a survey using a multifaceted definition of environmental literacy based on key frameworks laid out in “A Blueprint for Environmental Literacy,” legislation code revisions (SB720, Allen 2018), and the Green Ribbon Schools Award program.
In 2021, members of CAELI’s County Office of Education discussed various landscape analyses that had been completed in partner districts and counties. They learned that what central office administrators and educators thought was happening often differed. Knowing that CAELI needed a strong understanding of teachers’ experiences, they collaborated with The Lawrence Hall of Science for a landscape study. The CAELI Metrics Working Group served as advisors throughout the survey creation, data collection, and reporting phases.
Response to the survey was strong, with 1,080 surveys from 909 educators and 171 administrators—representing each of California’s fifty-eight counties. The report includes sections on what and how educators are teaching, what resources are available at their school, and what types of professional learning and other support they feel would help the most.
How to get involved: The full report will be released in July, alongside webinars that will also take place in summer 2024. Stay tuned for more information!
California Schoolyard Tree Canopy Equity Study
As part of the California Schoolyard Forest System℠, Green Schoolyards America launched a study to map tree canopy levels across school properties. With the help of researchers, a team of mapping assistants, and GIS experts, the existing levels and distribution of tree canopy at every TK–12 public school campus in California were mapped to develop a baseline and identify future priorities.
This information will also provide tools for data-driven decision-making to help policymakers in their efforts to protect vulnerable children from extreme heat and the impacts of climate change. Key findings about tree canopy equity in California were published in late April, including an interactive map showing the existing level and distribution of tree canopy at TK–12 public schools in California, and both immediate and long-term policy recommendations.
How to get involved: Use the data to support the integration of schoolyard forests in your local community.
California Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (AEOE) Landscape Analysis
This data project focuses on environmental education experiences provided by community-based partners to develop a comprehensive understanding of the environmental education already happening on the ground. It will also identify gaps in service and the resources needed to ensure that every young person in California has access to environmental learning experiences.
Several key questions and themes are explored in this data project, including understanding the scope and scale of employment in nonformal and informal environmental education and raising awareness for how to make compensation, benefits, recruitment, and hiring in environmental education more equitable and inclusive. This also included an exploration of the distribution of environmental education programs and providers and an understanding of the regional demographics, environmental pollution burdens, and climate risks.
The data project is led by AEOE, in partnership with the EcoRise Gen Thrive data project, the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), and the California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI). Data was collected in spring and summer of 2023 and the analysis and tool development was completed in the fall of 2023 and winter of 2024.
To explore the findings, visit CA Environmental Education Providers Dashboard and Climate Impacts, Environmental Education, and Equity Map.
How to get involved: Use the database to connect with school communities and partners in your area to assess opportunities and risks in your region, explore the dashboard for insights into organizational structures, staff, programming, and business models, and contribute your data to the next iteration.
CAELI Green Ribbon Data Project
The California Green Ribbon Schools Award (CA-GRS) program serves as a baseline assessment and a platform for prioritizing sustainability efforts. In the fall of 2022, the CAELI Green Ribbon Data Project commenced, with the CAELI Taking Green Ribbon to Scale Campaign launching the following year. As of 2023, three percent (3% = 37 districts) of California school districts have participated in the CA-GRS program. To take the program to scale, the “CAELI Taking Green Ribbon to Scale Campaign” uses an equity- and data-driven approach to understanding the current engagement status and getting resources and support out to school communities across the state.
This data project provides the foundational data for understanding who has and has yet to participate in the CA-GRS program.
How to get involved: Learn more and join the CAELI Statewide Green Ribbon Network and read the most recent CA Green Ribbon Data Report, including data from 2014–2024. If you are an educator, get a Green Ribbon application going for your community!
Over the past year huge progress has been made by Ten Strands and our partners in centering our work in an equity-driven and data-informed approach. Many of these data projects and initiatives will be continuing into 2024–25, so stay tuned for more information as these projects develop!
