Everglades Environmental Education Program Connects Children with Nature
Currently Everglades National Park (EVER) provides a range of curriculum-based educational opportunities that serve thousands of students in the South Florida region. These EVER programs provide students with opportunities to experience Everglades National Park firsthand, and their curriculum is linked to state and national standards. These programs are thought to be of high quality, but to date no formal evaluation has been conducted to assess the performance of these programs.
This study investigated the immediate impacts of the EVER day (Shark Valley and Royal Palm) and residential/camping (Loop Road and Hidden Lake) programs. Specifically, this study surveyed over 900 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students from 33 schools before and after attending programs to gauge the influence of these education programs on a wide range of potential outcomes.
- Click the link to review the project report: Everglades NP Evaluation
- Click the link to review the report brochure: Everglades NP Report Brochure
Such a great way to show the benefit of outdoor/environmental education! Keep up the Great work!
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This survey looks like a great way to get students/a younger generation involved so that they can participate in determining the effectiveness of programming and what may need to be changed and what is relevant for their age group. This would be a good idea for other parks as well!