Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Issue 12: April 2024
Michael Dunlea
2020-2021 Burlington County Teacher of the Year
Kenneth R. Olson Middle School
Tabernacle Township School District
Welcome to the month of April, the final stretch of the academic year. Spring is a time of reawakening. We spring ahead, we spring clean, and we begin looking forward to warmer, longer days. It is also the time of the year when we see many students make breakthroughs in their learning. Spring brings with it the promise of the new day, and as teachers we aim to meet that promise. As we celebrate Earth Day on April 22, let's approach it as a time to lead our students to become the newest stewards of our planet.
In my classroom, I approach working with students with that mindset. I include the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in my lessons. These 17 goals were adopted in 2015 with the hope of reaching them by 2030. Climate action, life on land, and life below water are SDGs connected to the environment and planet. Goal 13, climate action, states that to solve the problem, “The world must transform its energy, industry, transport, food, agriculture, and forestry systems to ensure that we can limit global temperature rise.” By incorporating the SDGs in our lessons, we can help our students find their voices and empower them to make a difference.
As climate change has become central to our teaching and living, this is the perfect time of the year to encourage all students to be leaders of change. They bring hope and optimism to a serious and concerning problem. So, let’s all spring ahead to a time when today’s students reminisce about that time they saved the planet. We have all entered this profession to make a difference, and nothing could be more important than helping the planet survive. This Earth Day let us lead the call for all citizens to do their part.
Featured NJDOE Office of the Month—Climate Change
The Climate Change Education Unit is responsible for supporting the implementation of climate change education across the state through the guidance provided in the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS). The revised NJSLS are intended to empower New Jersey’s schools in preparing the next generation of leaders to synthesize sustainable and innovative ideas for the future.
The NJSLS are designed to prepare students to:
- understand how and why climate change happens,
- understand the impact it has on our local and global communities; and
- act in informed and sustainable ways.
Grant Opportunities
The unit currently oversees the administration of grant opportunities to support climate change education in New Jersey schools.
Expanding Access to Climate Change Education and the NJSLS through Climate Change Learning Collaboratives
Provides funding to regional New Jersey institutes of higher education and their community-based organization partners to provide professional development, technical support, and experiential learning opportunities for New Jersey teachers to strengthen their capacity to plan and engage in climate change learning with their students.
Expanding Access to Climate Change Education and the NJSLS through Interdisciplinary Learning and Community Resilience
Provides funding to local education agencies to plan, coordinate, and execute an interdisciplinary, project-based unit plan and a corresponding student-led community resilience project focused on climate action and solutions in the students’ local community.
Collaboration with the Office of Career Readiness
The unit is working with the Office of Career Readiness to develop career and technical education (CTE) programs of study to prepare students for emerging green and blue jobs and incorporate related job themes into existing CTE programs. Per the Education Development Center (EDC), green and blue jobs reduce negative environmental impacts or advance environmental goals primarily in terrestrial, marine, coastal, and aquatic ecosystems and contexts.
Action for Earth 2024
During the month of April, the unit is sponsoring Action for Earth, a month-long learning and action campaign to celebrate Earth Day 2024.