Strengthening Science Teaching for Environmental Stewardship
School is the perfect place to build lifelong environmental stewardship, and effective teachers and impactful curricula make that possible. The Cumberland River Compact’s professional learning program supports high-quality, locally relevant environmental science instruction. Our professional learning brings educators together in a community of learning and change, resulting in more career fulfillment and more engaging and effective curricula for students.
The Compact’s Approach
While traditional professional development courses provide one time, workshop-based instruction for teachers, professional learning creates ongoing, self-directed, and collaborative opportunities for growth over the course of a school year.
The Compact’s professional learning program is rooted in research and innovation in science education. It integrates best practices from Ambitious Science Teaching, the Next Generation Framework for K-12 Science Education, and more. We use a curriculum-based professional learning approach that focuses on instructional materials and specific teaching strategies within an active, sustained learning environment for teachers.
Our professional learning workshops also explore effective ways to bring local environmental phenomena and issues into the classroom, often referencing the Compact’s work in stream restoration, mine land reforestation, urban forestry, and more.
Our Education Team partners directly with school districts like Metro Nashville Public Schools and Rutherford County Schools to support their professional learning goals and transform their science instruction. The Compact is one of the few environmental organizations in the US to partner with school districts as an essential element of their science instruction.
Get Involved
The Compact’s Education Team can support your school district in implementing high-quality and locally relevant environmental science content. Reach out to info@cumberlandrivercompact.org to discuss partnership opportunities.
Check out our events page or sign up for the education newsletter to stay up to date on workshop offerings and additional professional learning opportunities for teachers.
Meet the Team
Testimonials
“The Cumberland River Compact education team has done such an amazing job at understanding our standards, textbooks, and gathering resources to the table. I don’t just feel like I have a basic level of knowledge of our new curriculum, I feel several steps ahead. Now I know it’s not just the textbook, I have more support.”
Ryan Selvaggio, Stratford STEM High School
“The professional development facilitated by the Cumberland River Compact is a vital component of Metro Nashville Public School’s strategy to elevate environmental science education. Through this collaboration, teachers gain access to immersive, standards-aligned learning experiences that deepen their understanding of environmental systems while connecting instruction to real-world, local issues affecting the Cumberland River watershed”
Dr. Jennifer Berry, Director of Science and STEAM at Metro Nashville Public Schools
