Public School Use of Covid Funds for Outdoor Learning Should Incorporate Curricula and Sustainability

July 4, 2021 Melissa Rooney

It is my understanding that Durham Public Schools (DPS) is going to focus a significant proportion of its COVID funding on outdoor learning, and I am thrilled to hear it!

However, my 15-years experience with DPS administration is that ‘outdoor learning’ is too often interpreted as benches, gazebos and sidewalks (and maybe a few potted plants), which may provide outdoor seating areas but do not exactly encourage engagement and learning.

I hope from my heart that DPS and the school board take very seriously the opportunity they have been given here to incorporate DPS's offices of Sustainability and Curricula into plans for outdoor learning and DPS grounds and maintenance. This is another win-win-win, which our elected officials always say they're looking for, and it would be more than just a shame to let it slip away.

If I were in charge, I would incorporate each grade’s curricula into DPS's outdoor learning plans, by incorporating sustainable school grounds (stormwater management) improvements like rain gardens, rain-water-collecting cisterns (and accompanying gardens), "critical planting areas" along eroded slopes and streams, Nature trails, etc. Just the presence of these sustainable practices and vegetation, alone, provides experiential outdoor curricula material for every grade level in Durham Public Schools. AND these practices immensely benefit the Durham community and world, by naturally filtering our schools’ stormwater runoff and significantly reducing pollution and sedimentation into our impaired waterways (and drinking water), thereby teaching our students, staff and families the practical importance of both. Further educational reach would come from using the cisterns to water edible/flower/herb gardens to teach and show students where their food, tonics, and medicines come from.

I'd also make sure that, as much as possible, any structures installed (gazebos, shades, covered walkways, etc.) also have solar panels (even if they only power a light, fan, or outlet under the structure) or "green roofs” (vegetation on top). Last time I checked, there were heaps of funding opportunities for solar-panel installations (which the nonprofit DPS Foundation could look into). Employing either or both of these practices on school campuses provides students, teachers, staff and their families with much-needed real-world examples of the practical science behind the sustainable solutions increasingly required to ensure our health and the health of our planet; all of which easily incorporates required NC core curricula.

(Portion of) Stormwater Control Measure installed at EK Powe Elementary School with funds from ECWA (Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association) and DOST (Durham Open Space and Trails).

As much as possible, I'd incorporate educational outdoor signage explaining what everything does and how it works. Three-to-seven years of involuntary exposure to this information is much more likely to sink into our students' heads than looking at stuff on a screen, doing worksheets or drilling for end-of-grade testing.

I would also 1) put a *greenhouse* at every school, where hands-on outdoor lessons can be conducted in cold as well as rainy weather; and 2) ensure that the teachers in charge of maintaining these green houses receive training and compensation for this service (it's a lot more than just watering plants). Native, edible, and other plants grown (by teachers and students) in these greenhouses would be used in the curricula-based, multi-class/grade projects described above.

These ideas aren't mine. They are the practice of Durham's Bionomic Education and Training Centers (BETC). And the BETC program has already demonstrated their benefits. If you are not familiar with the BETC program, here are 2 easy-to-read articles about the program that I wrote years ago: http://melissarooneywriting.com/DN_Articles/ICMA_BETC_Dec2014_.pdf and http://www.melissarooneywriting.com/DN_Articles/DN_5Jun2011.pdf .

The BETC program, which is Durham’s own, has advanced significantly since these articles were written and now consists of outdoor learning curricula that addresses required NC Core standards across elementary through high-school grade levels. In fact, the BETC program is already being implemented at several Durham Public Schools (middle and high) to teach OCS students how to design, install and maintain these “best [stormwater] management practices” (BMPs) and is paying both teachers and students (occupational course of study) for their participation!

My use of the word “maintain” is intentional, as the DPS Grounds and Maintenance department has been increasingly concerned about the maintenance of CCAP, ECWA, DOST and other bmp installations (rain gardens, retention areas, etc.) on school campuses and, thus, increasingly resistant to accepting the hundreds of thousands of dollars in local, state and federal money to incorporate these worthwhile - in fact, essential - practices. I see great opportunities to partner with the county and the city to ensure future and increased funding to hire DPS teachers and students to install and maintain these sustainable areas on DPS campuses, freeing up DPS grounds and maintenance staff to do all the other work they are charged with: http://www.melissarooneywriting.com/blog/2021/06/city-budget-for-green-programs-jobs-more-than-just-lacking/.

The BETC curricula incorporates NC Core curricula requirements, as well as math, ecology, geology, chemistry, botany, biology, environmental science, critical thinking, accounting, business, design, engineering, and more, depending on the grade level and class.

If I were in charge, I would contact someone associated with BETC and inquire about incorporating it into all of my schools. The program was built to spread.