This article was developed for the CAELI Green Ribbon Initiative spring 2026 Green Hills Elementary School, part of the Millbrae Elementary School District in San Mateo County, is building a school culture where environmental stewardship, student leadership, and community engagement...
I’m a naturally competitive person. Whether it’s sports, business, or anything else, nothing brings out my competitive streak like an uneven playing field. Early in my education career, I worked with two groups: the students in my school day classes...
There’s a well-respected model in child development called the ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner 1979). It posits that child development is best understood in the context of the entire ecosystem in which children grow up and the forces that shape it....
(This article is the fourth in a series featuring the formation and progress of the coalition carrying out the California Campaign for Outdoor Learning. It is also the first in a new series exploring the connection between outdoor learning and...
If California is to meet its ambitious climate goals, education and youth engagement cannot be treated as afterthoughts. It must be a central strategy. The Santa Clara County Youth Climate Initiative is a promising, replicable model for developing a regional...
Spotlight on the California STEAM Hub Network Connecting Educators. Inspiring Innovation. Expanding Opportunities. Across California, educators and community partners are coming together through the California STEAM Hub Initiative to strengthen learning opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM)....
The field is still damp from the morning marine layer when the first students step outside. Cones in brilliant orange and neon green stretch across the grass. Sapphire hoops glisten in the sunlight. Scarlet foam balls rest in baskets like...
Six years ago, I wrote my first article for CAELI about environmental literacy from the perspective of a regional municipality. I was serving as a public affairs leader in the water sector, working at the intersection of public water systems,...
It was a rare sunny winter day in Seattle when I visited a neighborhood playground with a child and their parent. This family wanted their child to be able to play outside with their sibling and friends. As a pediatric...
The final school bell doesn’t mean the learning stops. Expanded learning programs—whether after school or during the summer—provide students with fun and exciting ways to supplement what they have been learning in the classroom. One of the best parts about...
