Developing an Environmental Education Liaison Network in the Fond du Lac School District to Enhance the Infusion of Environmental Education
File(s)
Date
1995-07Author
Winter, Margie R.
Publisher
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, College of Natural Resources
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
In the years prior to this project, the Fond du Lac school district funded three
Environmental Education (EE) liaisons; one elementary, one junior high, and one high
school teacher. The ability of three liaisons to serve a district teaching staff of about
430 teachers was minimal. This project was conducted over a two-year time period
(1993-94, 1994-95) in an attempt to improve the infusion of EE in the Fond du Lac
school district by increasing the number of liaisons and organizing a system for
liaisons to share ideas. The goal of this project was to enhance the EE program of the
Fond du Lac school district by developing an EE Liaison Network
Administrative support and funding were obtained to register fifteen liaisons in
the district with the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education. This provided
for one liaison at each of nine elementary schools, one liaison at each of three junior
high schools, and three liaisons at the high school. Four liaison inservices per year
were conducted for the purpose of disseminating EE resources, sharing ideas for EE
infusion, and discussing issues and proposing solutions to the problems liaisons were
encountering in performing their roles as liaisons. A survey was distributed to the
teaching staff of the entire Fond du Lac school district at the end of each year to
assess the effectiveness of the EE Liaison Network. Survey results showed an EE
Liaison Network can be an effective means to improve the infusion ofK-12 EE in a
school district. Over the two-year time period, there was a great increase in the
number of teachers who became aware of the existence of EE liaisons in their school
and who the liaisons were. A majority of the responses (57% and 64%) indicated that
teachers were informed of EE opportunities by their liaisons. Approximately one-third
of those responding incorporated additional EE activities into their teaching as a
result of information received from EE liaisons. Based on liaison input, suggestions
and methods for effective liaison networking were identified for the Fond du Lac school
district.