'No Child Left Inside' Legislation Re-Introduced

In an attempt to strengthen environmental education standards in America, Congressman John Sarbanes D-MD re-introduced for debate what is being called the No Child Left Inside (NCLI) Act.

The No Child Left Inside Act is supported by a national grassroots coalition of more than 2,000 organizations, representing nearly 50 million Americans, which include environmental advocates, wildlife and sportsmen organizations and educators.

“By creating an environmental education grant program and providing teacher training for environmental education across the curriculum, we can prepare our children for science, technology, engineering and mathematics jobs that will be the cornerstone of the United States’ 21st century economy,” Sarbanes said. “Research shows that hands-on, outdoor environmental education has a measurably positive impact not only on student achievement in science, but also in reading, math and social studies.”

If passed into law, NCLI would authorize new funding for states to provide high-quality environmental instruction. Funds would support outdoor learning activities both at school and in non-formal environmental education centers, teacher professional development, and the creation of state environmental literacy plans.

Sarbanes counts environmental protection among his hallmark issues and believes that our nation is facing a multitude of environmental problems such as protecting clean air and water, finding alternatives to the finite supply of fossil fuels, global warming, and many others.

“Environmental education is facing a national crisis,” Sarbanes added. “Many schools are being forced to scale back or eliminate environmental education programs. The No Child Left Inside Act seeks to give schools and teachers the resources and flexibility to spark the imagination of our nation’s children.”

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