Inventory and Assessment of K-12 and PTD Programs

Inventory and Assessment of K-12 and Professional Teacher Development Programs in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System

E. RESULTS

National or System-Wide Program or Activity

Support for System-Wide Program or Activity
In general there is support for a system-wide program or activity. This section takes a look at this question from a variety of different angles. The online survey rates ECs opinions on the different forms a national or system wide program or activity might take:

67% of ECs agree that system-wide NERRS educational objectives would help them improve educational programs at their Reserve (those who answered 5 or above on a scale of 1 to 10, mean 5.92). EC opinions are split on this item, with a cluster of responses around 4 and 5 and a cluster of responses around 9 and 10.
63% of ECs agree that a system-wide NERRS educational program(s) would help them improve educational programs at their Reserve (those who answered 5 or above on a scale of 1 to 10, mean 5.58). EC opinions are split on this item, with a cluster of responses between 3 and 7 and a cluster of responses at 10.
58% of ECs agree that a system-wide NERRS educational curriculum would help them improve educational programs at their Reserve (those who answered 5 or above on a scale of 1 to 10, mean 5.38). EC opinions are diverse.

As the results indicate, the averages are above 5 for every question, however the results are bi-modal for each question, signifying that the ECs perceive different needs and opportunities.

The follow-up interviews shed light on why there is so much disagreement in the initial survey. ECs agree that it is helpful to create a national identity or focus for NERRS, but they also said that it would be difficult to find the commonalities among the Reserves because each site is so different. If a national-level program is implemented, 75% of ECs indicate they would favor such a program, with the following caveats:

The program has a broad thematic program that could be localized
The program identifies unifying themes for Reserves and partners
The program uses NERRS strengths
The program matches current goals at each Reserve
The program is of interest to school districts
The Reserves have enough staff to implement the program
Opportunities are available for partners to implement the program
The program is strongly promoted by the national office
The program is similar to CTP (e.g., it has a defined NERRS/NOAA mission and budget category)
The program is supported with long-term resources

ECs indicate a national-level NERRS curriculum or program might include:

Introductory materials that each Reserve could use as a springboard for their own site-specific programs
Creative national marketing strategies that focus on commonalities in programs and focus among Reserves
National PTD certification program
National standards
Resources or other national programs that sites can participate in
Great website
Evaluation tools and methods

Several ECs mention that Estuary Live may be a good focus for a national curriculum effort. What ECs did not want was a “top-down program” with a “canned curriculum” that would be irrelevant to their Reserve, their climate, or their season(s) of operation.

The 25% of ECs who did not favor adopting some kind of national program gave several reasons for their view, including that any new program would probably come at the expense of current programs and would likely not fit all Reserves. Since some Reserves do not have K-12/PTD programs, and others have been cut, they believe a truly national program would not be feasible.

System-Wide Activities and Topics
ECs feel that the following activities and topics that would be most appropriate for a national program:

Educational methods
Estuarine/environmental topics
Marketing/communications
Educational methods that would be appropriate for a national program include experiential programs (e.g. restoration efforts, seine netting), web-based programs, comparative programs between Reserves, PTD programs that are designed to address specific identified needs, science-based programs for secondary grades (e.g. based on SWMP data, salt marsh monitoring), programs that target a specific grade level, and system-wide program evaluation tools. ECs mention several programs that are appropriate models or venues for a national curriculum effort including Estuary Live, MARE, and Rivers Meet The Sea.
ECs indicate that these estuarine and environmental topics are appropriate for a national program:
- Estuaries- physical properties, functions, ecology
- o Nekton- biological properties
- o Estuaries- value, resource appreciation
- o Estuaries- stewardship and protection
- o Water quality and water pollution
- o Watersheds
- o Invasive species
- o Migratory species
- o Near-shore ecosystems
- o Oceanography
- o National environmental issues as they apply to local issues
ECs would like a national program to address several marketing and communications to: develop promotional items for each Reserve’s use; develop and maintain a resource-based website; and provide national “introductory” materials (e.g., video or map of system) that explain why the Reserves exist and what this national network does to protect the environment.

System-Wide Niche
The study also investigates what niche a system-wide or national program might fill. There are already a number of coastal and marine environmental programs and curriculums. Appendix 1 lists all of the programs that ECs identified during the surveys as well others that were found during the project. While there are many unique and interesting programs, most reflect the mission of the sponsoring organization or a pressing coastal issue. The NERRS’ unique role of Research Reserves suggests that using original research in their programs could be a niche for a system-wide or national program.

The suggestion is confirmed by the ECs responses to what made their programs different from other coastal-based educational programs. They rate the degree to which the following factors differentiate Reserve educational programs from other coastal educational programs on a scale of 1 to 10 (where 1 equals not at all different and 10 equals very different). The following show the results with means greater than five.