Research undertaking at Brown University's Annenberg Institute focuses on investigating the effects of climate change on educational institutions
The Sustainable Education Research Initiative, a collaboration between scholars, policymakers, and practitioners, has taken on an urgent education policy issue: the growing threats to schools, infrastructure, students, teachers, and staff from climate change.
Led by Project Director Grace Falken and Research Associate Sohil Malik, the initiative published an inaugural report titled 'Education and Climate Change: Synthesizing the Evidence to Guide Future Research' in July. Co-authored by Maarten Immink and David W. Cash, the report outlines the main points of connection between education and climate change, offering a roadmap for future research in the field.
According to the report, schools are vulnerable to the growing effects of climate change. Kraft, another author of the working paper, emphasizes this point, stating that schools are vital to the solution of climate change.
The report highlights that between 2011 and 2019, extreme weather events were responsible for 83% of school closures lasting a week or more. This statistic underscores the urgent need for action, as the frequency of environmental disasters causing more than $1 billion in damage has increased from around three per year in the early 1980s to approximately 23 annual disasters in recent years, according to federal data.
To address these challenges, the initiative plans to develop interactive online reports for students, educators, and administrators. In addition, they intend to produce free toolkits and publish policy memos to guide decision-making.
The Sustainable Education Research Initiative also aims to help advance interdisciplinary scholarship. To this end, they plan to host public research seminars, bringing together experts from various fields to discuss the complex issues surrounding education and climate change.
Kraft stresses the urgency of the situation, stating that climate change is an urgent education policy issue. By working together, the initiative hopes to inform Pre-K-12 education policy and practice, ensuring that schools are better equipped to face the challenges posed by climate change.
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