Maine Department of Education Awards $750,000 in Climate Education Professional Development Grants

Grants Provide Opportunities for Maine Schools to Partner with Climate and Environmental Community Organizations to Strengthen Climate Education for Students

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) awarded $750,000 in climate education professional development grants to 10 programs throughout the state. These programs will support partnerships between school administrative units (SAUs), schools, and community organizations to strengthen climate education opportunities for students across Maine.

This grant funding increases access to climate education for students throughout Maine. The grant directly funds professional learning for educators to partner with climate science experts and organizations in their communities. These programs are instrumental in providing educators and schools the support needed to address climate and resiliency in the classroom.

Programs for SY24-25:

• Brownville Elementary School along with Penquis Valley Middle School will partner with Appalachian Mountain Club and Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District on a program for 4^th, 6^th and 10^th grades, focused on wildlife and forest ecology and health.
• Calais Public Schools will partner with Maine TREE Foundation to develop curriculum with Project Learning Tree tools including the Forest Ecology Research Network.
• Cherryfield Public Schools, with a focus on PreK-8, will work with Rural Aspirations Project and Downeast Education Institute to design and implement new climate-based projects at every grade level in science and social studies classrooms.
• Fiddlehead School will partner with Center for Ecology Based Economy to develop climate focused curriculum units in Grades 5 through 8. They will also work with Learning by Nature for ME to help PreK-4 teachers understand green school yards and incorporate their use into classroom work.
• RSU 80/MSAD 4 in Guilford will have an Environmental Education Coordinator overseeing and working with teachers as a part of the staff throughout the school year. This coordinator will work with partners, Appalachian Mountain Club and Rural Aspirations Project in help develop curriculum and work with teachers.
• RSU 17 in South Paris will partner with Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Center for Ecology Based Economy to review, plan, and introduce new units and lessons for teachers of 1^st through 7^th as well as 10^th Additionally, MSAD 17 will work with Roberts Farm to develop and implement 5^th grade curriculum and have a Food Corps Member create school garden team curriculum for 3^rd and 4^th grade.
• Pembroke Elementary School will host a 1-day Professional Development Conference open to teachers throughout Washington County in partnership with Island Readers and Writers, along with additional partners and speakers.
• RSU 12 Windsor Elementary will partner with Friends of Cobbossee Watershed to expand its Watershed Climate Professional Development workshop from Phase 1 on this grant program. Friends of Cobbossee will additionally provide several workshops throughout the year on the national curriculum Project Wet.
• RSU 34 in Old Town will work with the Maine Center for Research in STEM Education (RiSE Center) and Wabanaki Science and Indigenous Knowledge to develop and implement curriculum that focuses on braiding Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science concepts with Cultural Knowledge Sharers and into units for 6^th through 12^th
• Westbrook Public Schools will work with Wild Seed Project to design and implement outdoor learning and climate-focused plans into classroom units throughout the school year. Additionally, Maine TREE will partner with Westbrook to host climate education professional development and create a school-wide climate education plan.

“Teachers will deepen their knowledge, draw in peer partners, and develop/implement curriculum this school year in continued relationship with the CKS’s and Western researchers.  This fall a second cohort will initiate, as will a book study cohort, with an early-spring share-out date to share and reflect upon the journey in developing place-based, project-based learning.” said RSU 34 Assistant Superintendent Jon Doty

“Our work with the Climate Education grant perfectly aligns with our commitment to outdoor learning and creating place-based, relevant curricula for our students. We are working to help them to become knowledgeable stewards of both their local and global communities, and all of this is made possible through partnerships with local organizations and the grant funding.” said RSU 17 Curriculum Director Jill Bartash

“These grants provide Maine educators and schools with the tools, resources, and partnerships they need to provide students with engaging, hands-on climate and environmental education. From the mountains to the coast, Maine has an enormous amount of natural resources for students to explore and learn from so they can be effective environmental stewards and leaders,” said Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin.

Maine continues to be a leader in outdoor learning and climate education. The Maine DOE’s Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures (RREV) initiative, funded through a $16.9 million federal grant, has supported the expansion of outdoor education classrooms, programs, professional learning, partnerships, and spaces across the state. Schools across Maine utilized federal relief funding to expand outdoor learning spaces and programs. Governor Mills’ Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative has provided thousands of Maine middle and high school students with coastal and inland forestry learning and career exploration opportunities during the summer. The Maine DOE recently hired a Climate Education Specialist to support and expand this work with educators, schools, and community partners across the state. You can learn more about the Maine DOE’s climate and outdoor education work here.

The grant initiative was designed out of LD 1902, which was passed by the Legislature in 2022 and signed by the Governor to establish a pilot program to provide support for climate education in Maine public schools. Priority was given to communities historically underserved by climate education, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, and interdisciplinary, place-based, and project-based learning focused activities. In its second year now, the Climate Education Professional Development Pilot Grant Program has awarded over $1 million dollars to 16 programs which will serve 40+ schools in 10 counties and hundreds of teachers and thousands of students statewide. The program will accept applications for 2025-26 School Year programs this coming winter. More Details to follow.