Dr. Carine Verschueren (Ph.D. ’21) is advancing national conversations on sustainability and education policy through her recent article, Local Pathways to Sustainability Education Policies: A Comparative Case Study of Three Large School Districts in the USA, published in August 2025 in the Journal of Education Policy.
“In a federal system marked by decentralization, fragmentation, and uneven political will, sustainability education policies do not arise from national mandates but from complex local processes involving public agencies, school districts, civil society, and increasingly, youth themselves,” writes Verschueren (2025, p. 14).
Grounded in the Advocacy Coalition Framework and drawing on 53 interviews, her study compares how New York City Public Schools, Denver Public Schools, and Prince William County Public Schools have shaped and reshaped sustainability education policies over the last decade. The study brings to light that there is no single pathway to respond to the environmental and climate crises; rather, multi-scalar, overlapping, and complementary actors and factors impact these policies.
Cities such as New York City and Denver emerge as driving forces in shaping sustainability education, aligning education initiatives with urban sustainability plans. On the other hand, parents and students act as policy brokers, pressing for more radical and justice-focused strategies, a trend especially evident in Prince William County but also present in New York City and Denver.
The study underscores that local control in a decentralized education system allows school districts to craft policies grounded in local realities and policy preferences. While this emphasizes the power local districts hold, it also perpetuates inequities between districts in the United States. Students in rural or under-resourced contexts, without support from states, cities, or community advocates, may never have the chance to learn about the environmental crises we face, particularly climate change. This perpetuates a widening divide in how children are prepared for their futures in this country.
Now a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Verschueren continues to build on the work she began at Teachers College, focusing on subnational education policies related to sustainability. At the University’s College of Education, she leads research projects with graduate students through the Sustainable Futures Lab, exploring how the framing and implementation of sustainability policies vary across local contexts.She is also developing content for an online Sustainability Education certificate and a micro-credential in Climate Change Education.“My experiences at Teachers College in ICEP and EPSA, and my collaborations through the Center for Sustainable Futures have been invaluable in shaping my research, connecting with NYC educators, and preparing me for the challenges and opportunities of this next stage,” she says.
Through her comparative study and continuing postdoctoral work, Dr. Verschueren continues to deepen understanding of how education policies take shape at the local level. Through both research and curriculum development, she bridges scholarship and practice to support more coherent and context-responsive approaches to sustainability education