Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ecological Restoration-Based Education Transforms Schoolgrounds And Education, Libby Mccann, Todd Miller

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The University of Wisconsin- Madison Arboretum, home to the world's first prairie restoration, has a threefold mission to conserve and restore Arboretum lands, advance the science of restoration ecology, and foster the Land Ethic. Since 1991 , teams of teachers from more than 150 schools in Wisconsin have learned to incorporate ecological restoration into the curriculum through the Earth Partnership for Schools Program. This multi-disciplinary teacher professional development program emphasizes inquiry-based learning and multiple intelligences in a hands-on, collaborative setting. The majority of schools have focused their efforts on prairies. Recreating or restoring an ecological community on school grounds provides …