E-H Step: Environmental Health Sciences Training and Education Program (K-12)Environmental Health Sciences Summer Institute for K-12 Educators
The Environmental Health Sciences Summer
Institute is a four-day teacher development conference that introduces
Texas K-12 educators to new curricular materials that explore the
critical interrelationships between human health and the environment.
The Summer Institute consists of a series of one- to two-day sessions
focusing on gene/environment interactions, risk assessment, toxicology,
carcinogenesis, molecular and cellular biology, organ systems, indoor
and outdoor air pollution, lead poisoning, water quality among others.
The Institute employs a unique approach to disseminating and integrating
the curricular materials by using environmental health and science as an
integrating context. This approach furthers the development of students’
higher-order thinking skills by providing a practical and relevant
context for learning. Participating teachers are not only introduced to
scientific content and processes, but are also provided numerous ways in
which to address subject integration, especially with respect to the
language arts.
Conference sessions incorporate group
discussions, hands-on activities and lectures/ demonstrations, and are
facilitated by a coalition of professional educators, teachers and
scientists from the collaborating institutions. Each workshop
demonstrates how curricular materials are aligned with the Texas
Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
Teachers attending the Summer Institute
receive free curricular materials, training and Continuing Professional
Education credits for each workshop. Teachers attend the workshops free
of charge. A Travel Award Program increases attendance from all over the
state of Texas by defraying the costs of lodging and transportation,
particularly for participants from low-income districts. Annually, over
50% of all Summer Institute attendees take advantage of the Teacher
Travel Award Program.
E-H Step: Environmental Health Sciences Training and Education Program (K-12)
Along with the Summer Institute, in 2001
the COEP received a SEPA subcontract to help build a pipeline through
the state of Texas that offered further professional development
opportunities through the creation of a Regional Education Training
Center (RETC). The RETC serves as a local dissemination and training
depot for extant environmental health science-based curricular
materials. To implement these programs and to penetrate the Texas
Independent School Districts in an effective manner, the COEP partnered
with the Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, a highly
recognized teacher training college, and with the Galveston Independent
School district to form the basis of a teacher training team. On an
annual basis, in-service and pre-service workshops were provided.
The SEPA collaborators for the EH-STEP
were Oregon State University, Rutgers University, University of Arizona,
University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin, Wayne State
University and Vanderbilt University. The Regional Education Training
Center collaborators included Texas independent school districts, Region
Education Service Centers, Texas Education Agency, Society of
Toxicology, and Southwest Texas State University.
