Teaching Climate Change to K-12 Students Through Massive Higher Ed & Government Partnerships

New Jersey’s first-in-the-nation climate change curriculum, spearheaded by First Lady Tammy Murphy, is a necessary and bold initiative that integrates lessons on climate change throughout K-12 education.

It offers an opportunity to teach a new generation of students about the real dangers of climate change so that we can move quickly to create sustainable ways of life that will restore a healthy planet. But let’s be clear, no teacher or school or district or government policy can do this alone. Higher education must step in to help.

We need to develop large-scale K-12 and higher education partnerships that lean into, support and harness the potential of the new climate change curriculum. These partnerships would collaborate on programs for teacher training, in-class support, and project-based work for high school students mentored by higher ed faculty.

We already have the framework for these partnerships. We can leverage existing higher education coalitions such as Engage NJ to bring school districts, higher education and other constituencies together toward a common purpose and mutually beneficial impacts. At the same time, these coalitions would ensure that students from all backgrounds are included in this initiative.

New Jersey’s college students, already concerned about the planet they are inheriting and already volunteering in the tens of thousands on social issues each year, can be called to action in a “New Jersey Climate Change Education Corps,” modeled on the AmeriCorps VISTA program and fan out across the state to support teachers and promote engagement. Colleges and universities can also highlight their programs for young people interested in cutting-edge careers in climate change.

It is time to seize the opportunity created by First Lady Murphy. Coordinated statewide action, with the involvement and commitment of New Jersey’s colleges and universities, is required to support school districts as they implement the new standards. Collectively, we can build a new way of life across all of New Jersey for generations to come.