NAAEE Feature Page

The North American Association for Environmental Education

INTRODUCING THE NORTH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Since its beginning in 1971, NAAEE has been dedicated to promoting environmental education and supporting the work of environmental educators around the world. The association is made up of individuals who have thought seriously about how people become literate concerning environmental issues. NAAEE members rely on a coherent, accurate body of information about the environment as they prepare people to think together about the difficult decisions they must make concerning environmental stewardship. Through an annual conference and electronic communication, members share ideas about how to design resources and programs that motivate individuals to work together toward the resolution of environmental problems.

GUIDELINES FOR EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: NOW ON-LINE

Through its National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, NAAEE and Northern Illinois University have established sets of guidelines for excellence in environmental education materials, for learners, and for beginning environmental educators. All of these guidelines, plus related workbooks and reviews of materials, are now available on line at www.naaee.org/npeee.

The three sets of guidelines, developed over the past five years, were widely reviewed by NAAEE members and other leading educators in the United States. The learner guidelines are closely tied to U.S. learning standards for science, math, geography, and other related topics for grades 4, 8, and 12. The EE materials guidelines are easily adaptable to other cultures and have already been translated into Spanish and Arabic.

The guidelines for environmental educators, which describe the knowledge and skills needed by a beginning professional environmental educator, are also easily adapted internationally and can serve as the basis for development of environmental educator certification courses.

The guidelines may also be ordered in hard copy from the same website.

NAAEE ESTABLISHES SCHOLARSHIP FUND TO HONOR DR. WILLIAM STAPP

NAAEE has established a scholarship fund to bring students to the annual NAAEE conference in honor of Dr. William Stapp, who passed away in May. Stapp was a pioneer and international leader in environmental education. He served as a board member and as president of NAAEE and won numerous awards from the organization. NAAEE has set up a section on its Web site to honor Stapp and is also planning events in his honor at the annual conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, October 11–15.