April 16th, 2008 · 1 Comment

By Harriet Blake

Interest in the No Child Left Inside Act is growing on Capitol Hill this week. The proposed $100 million a year initiative would provide new funding for environmental education, specifically outdoor learning activities in schools and other learning centers. Environmentalists, teachers, some representatives of Congress and business leaders are supporting the plan in the belief that kids need to get a solid environmental education and reconnect with nature.

As part of National Environmental Education Week, bill sponsors U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) and U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) joined school children and environmentalists Wednesday (April 16) to rally for passage of the No Child Left Inside Act.

Proposed in 2007, the bill is backed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the No Child Left Inside Coalition (NCLI).

The bill came about because educators and others believe that there is too much emphasis placed on reading and math at the expense of science education. Often times, schools have to give up their science and environmental education programs so more time and money can be spent on language arts and math and the mandated testing that states require in those areas.

The bill is critical to the earth’s future, say supporters, because a well-educated public will be good stewards of the environment. As the NCLI website points out:

“Ultimately, the collective wisdom of our citizens, gained through education, will be the most compelling and most successful strategy for environmental management.”

The first hearing for the bill will be held, appropriately enough, on Earth Day, April 22. The House Education and Labor Committee, led by Sen. Sarbanes, will hold the field hearing on the No Child Left Inside Act at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Md. — just outside Washington, D.C.

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