Ten Strands CEO Karen Cowe reflects on her first ten years at Ten Strands. She has been pivotal in leading the organization and the state to ensure that students across California are equipped with the knowledge necessary to create healthy communities.
Public Education System Historical Context The K–12 public school system is where students are given an opportunity to gain knowledge and skills for a successful life. It’s important for children from all communities to receive a high-quality education to thrive as individuals and become contributing members of society. Beginning in the mid-1900s, in the US, […]
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” is one of the most common questions we ask our children. Their answers are bound only by their imagination and experiences. But we adults don’t ask that question with any real expectation that children will actually pursue the careers that they share or just because […]
Tackling the climate crisis requires creating climate champions of all ages—people who are educated on climate science, passionate about addressing the climate crisis, and engaged in concrete efforts to “bend the curve” of global warming. This is why Climate Champions aims to get more teaching, learning, and action on the climate crisis into regional schools. […]
“Research shows that weaving together science and language development can increase students’ academic performance in reading, writing, and science simultaneously.” ~ Sarah Feldman and Verónica Flores Malagon, “Unlocking Learning: Science as a Lever for English Learner Equity” The path that led me to environmental literacy education was less than direct, more of a meandering road. […]
This interview between California Association of Science Educators (CASE) and Karen Cowe, Ten Strands CEO and California Environmental Literacy Initiative project director, originally appeared on the CASE website and was republished with permission. Tell us about Ten Strands and the work of the California Environmental Literacy Initiative. Ten Strands was founded eight years ago by […]
For the last 15 years, we have collaborated to create standards-aligned integrated learning models for environmental literacy and the arts in order to support issues of justice. Using these models in the classroom has ignited our students’ imaginations. In early August 2020, as we approached an uncertain school year, we sat down to reflect on […]
On October 17, 2019, over 100 educators from across California gathered to kick off the annual California Association of Science Educators (CASE) California Science Education Conference in San Jose with the Climate Summit Pre-Conference Day. This event was brought back by popular demand after being first held at the 2018 CASE conference in Pasadena. As […]