House Committee Approves No Child Left Inside Act

The (Annapolis) Capital – June 22, 2008

The "No Child Left Inside" movement pushed by a local congressman took a significant step forward last week. Members of the House Education and Labor Committee approved Wednesday the No Child Left Inside Act. Sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes and others, the bill sends money to states to expand environmental and outdoor education programs. The states also will receive money to develop plans to make sure graduates are "environmentally literate." Mr. Sarbanes, D-Baltimore County, represents parts of Anne Arundel County.

Mr. Sarbanes' push for the bill took him to the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel on Earth Day, where the committee held a hearing after seeing kids in action learning in the great outdoors.

The push for more environmental education has its roots in the book "Last Child in the Woods," in which author Richard Louv decries the lack of outdoor learning and play available to children today.

The coalition supporting the No Child Left Inside Act grew to more than 300 groups. A companion bill in the Senate has not been voted on.

 

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The No Child Left Inside Act is likely to be voted on by the House of Representatives in September. This comes after the NCLI Act won strong bipartisan support in the House Education and Labor Committee earlier this summer. Full House approval will be a great sign that members of Congress strongly support environmental education. This backing has grown because our representatives in Washington have heard again and again from people and organizations across the country who believe it is important to get children outside to learn and explore their natural world.

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Congress Expected to Vote on Major Environmental Education Legislation Sept. 9

Legislation that would strengthen environmental education is expected to come to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives tomorrow, September 9, 2008.

The No Child Left Inside Act (H.R. 3036), passed by the House Education and Labor Committee earlier this summer, would reauthorize the National Environmental Education Act and also amend it to authorize additional grant funds to strengthen environmental education at the national, state, and local levels, and expand the purposes of the teacher training program in environmental education.

The Campaign for Environmental Literacy is leading advocacy efforts on this bill. Go to www.fundee.org/action/ for more information on the bill and how you can contact your House representative and urge him/her to pass this important legislation.

• Read the letter to House leaders that NSTA signed, urging passage of No Child Left Inside

The new law:

 Eliminates PACT and replaces it in 2009 with new end-of-year accountability tests that feature “essay” exams in March and more easily scored multiple-choice exams in May. Schools will get final results within a few weeks of the May tests, compared to late July with PACT.

 Revises the content of annual school report cards to make it more understandable and useful for parents, while simultaneously making certain that any revisions are in full compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

 Supports “formative” assessments in English language arts and mathematics. These tests will provide teachers with immediate feedback on individual students’ strengths and weaknesses and allow them to customize instruction based on those needs.

 Eliminates burdensome paperwork requirements for teachers.

 Brings South Carolina’s student performance targets into alignment with other states. Changes student performance indicators on state standardized tests from four levels to three (exemplary, met and not met).  Reviews the state’s school accountability system every five years to be certain that it’s working efficiently and effectively.

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