2019 -- H 5563

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LC001650

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THAT THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF

EDUCATION DEVELOP A SET OF KEY ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE

PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS TO BE INFUSED IN ALL SUBJECTS FOR K-12 PUBLIC

SCHOOL STUDENTS

     Introduced By: Representatives Cortvriend, Fogarty, Carson, Tanzi, and Caldwell

     Date Introduced: February 27, 2019

     Referred To: House Health, Education & Welfare

     WHEREAS, The evidence for human-induced climate change is overwhelming and

undeniable; and

     WHEREAS, The heaviest burden of climate change will fall on the next generation; and

     WHEREAS, Nearly 10,000 students graduate from Rhode Island high schools each year,

armed with attitudes, skills, and knowledge about the climate that inform their actions; and

     WHEREAS, The effect on the climate, positive or negative, of each of those 10,000

students lasts beyond a lifetime; and

     WHEREAS, Students need to be prepared to implement changes in professional and

personal practices, to support and help develop new technology and policy, and to address the

coming social and economic challenges and opportunities arising from a changing climate; and

     WHEREAS, It is thus essential that each of these graduates are climate literate; and

     WHEREAS, It has been demonstrated that over eighty percent of the people of Rhode

Island support teaching students about the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to

climate change; and

     WHEREAS, Only thirty percent of middle school and forty-five percent of high school

science teachers nationally, understand the extent of the scientific consensus on climate change;

and

     WHEREAS, The Resilient Rhody Report recommends that K-12 Education be expanded

to include education on environmental literacy, including climate-related emergency

preparedness, by developing resources for school use and identifying how these concepts can be

incorporated into existing state standards; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby urges all secondary public schools including middle schools, or

any other secondary schools managed and controlled by the state, to offer as part of the

curriculum, courses in climate and environmental literacy; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this House hereby requests that the Rhode Island Department of

Education, in consultation with a wide representation from the environmental and climate

education community, develops a set of key environmental and climate principles and concepts

which should be infused into all subjects, develop learning standards for the same, and ensure that

all teacher professional development includes these principles and concepts; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this House hereby urges the Rhode Island Department of Education to

ensure that teacher professional development in Rhode Island in the new Next Generation

Science Standards use climate as an exemplary anchor phenomenon; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this House respectfully urges the Rhode Island Department of

Education to make available on its website, curriculum materials and such other materials as may

assist local and regional school committees and such other materials as may assist local and

regional school committees in developing instructional programs in climate and environmental

literacy. RIDE shall consult with practicing teachers, principals, superintendents and experts

when making such curriculum and other materials available. The curriculum and materials

selected shall be aligned with state standards and assessments and contain sufficient detail to

guide teachers in planning lessons aligned with state standards and assessments; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Ms. Barbara S. Cottam, Chair, Rhode Island

Board of Education.

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LC001650

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