The Center for Sustainable Futures heads to the 2023 Comparative and International Education Society Conference in Washington D.C. Several of our students and faculty are presenting at the conference. Below you will find highlighted panels with descriptions! Congratulations to all that were accepted to present and chair!
Click here to find out more about CIES 2023 and here to view all the panels and workshops
Improving Environmental and Sustainability Education: Research, Practice, and Partnerships
Location: Mon, February 20, 2:45 to 4:15pm EST (2:45 to 4:15pm EST), Grand Hyatt Washington, Floor: Constitution Level (3B), Arlington
Chair: Darren Rabinowitz; dr3011@tc.columbia.edu
From Policy to Action: Improving Schools Sustainability in New York City
Darren Rabinowitz; dr3011@tc.columbia.edu
Pathways to Environmental and Sustainability Education Policies in Large School Districts: A Comparative Study
Carine Verschueren; cv2343@tc.columbia.edu
“Now our minds are one” – The role of County-Level Policy in Shaping a Local ESE Field
Naama Sadan; naama.sadan@mail.huji.ac.il
Improving Environmental Sustainability Education Policy through Research-Practice Partnerships: Lessons from New York City and Israel
Dafna Gan; dafna.gan@gmail.com
Panel Description
The Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 recognize the impact of urban spaces on sustainability (e.g., Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities). Indeed, more than half of all humanity now lives in urban areas (UN, 2018). Research on sustainability education in urban spaces, however, is still limited. One possible explanation for this gap is the tendency of environmental and sustainability education (ESE) scholarship to focus on the relationship between humans and the natural environment (i.e., other living things such as forests, animals, ecos ystems). This panel seeks to start addressing this gap in the literature by exploring ESE policy and practice in different urban contexts. This panel brings together researchers and policymakers to critically examine efforts to improve ESE in K-12 schools. The first paper, by Meredith McDermott and Thaddeus T. Copeland, describes ESE policy and practice in New York City (NYC); the authors will draw on their experience leading the Office of Sustainability at the NYC Department of Education. The second paper, by Carine Verschueren, explores how ESE policies unfold in three school districts in the US (New York City Department of Education, Denver Public Schools, and Prince William County Public Schools). The third paper, by Naama Sadan, analyzes the ways in which policy shape the organizational field of ESE actors in one county in California (e.g., NGOs and CBOs). The fourth paper, by Oren Pizmony-Levy and Dafna Gan, examines research-practice partnerships (RPPs) as a framework and process for improving ESE. Together, the papers provide a holistic perspective on the ways in which a large education systems improve ESE policy and practice. The authors engage different literatures that are relevant for educational improvement, including: policy and implementation studies, organizational and institutional theory, and research-practice partnerships. By doing so, the panel contributes to the theme of the conference “Improving Education for a More Equitable World”.
Improving Climate Change Communication and Education in Times of a Planetary Crisis: International and Domestic Efforts
Location: Sun, February 19, 2:45 to 4:15pm EST (2:45 to 4:15pm EST), Grand Hyatt Washington, Floor: Constitution Level (3B), Burnham
Chair: Gareth Brinkworth; garethalexisbrinkworth@gmail.
Taking Action on Climate in New York City Schools
Thaddeus Copeland; tcopeland@schools.nyc.gov
Meredith McDermott; mmcdermott10@schools.nyc.gov
Advancing Climate Education through the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey
Heather Price; hprice@alumni.nd.edu
Oren Pizmony-Levy; Pizmony-Levy@tc.columbia.edu
Climate Communication and Education Organizations: Mapping the Terrain of an Emerging Social Movement
Shreya Sanjeev; ss6416@tc.columbia.edu
Erika Kessler; elk2144@tc.columbia.edu
Oren Pizmony-Levy; Pizmony-Levy@tc.columbia.edu
Beyond technoscientific and market-based solutionism: Land-based climate change education
Carrie Karsgaard; karsgaar@ualberta.ca
Panel Description
Climate change is an existential threat to life on planet Earth. A 2021 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that emissions of greenhouse gases from human activit ies are responsible for a rise in global temperature of approximately 1.1°C of since the late 19th century. The IPCC Report also finds that climate change brings different changes around the world, including sea level rise, and extreme weather events (e.g., floods, droughts, heat waves). The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, 1992) acknowledges the role of education in mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. Article 6 of the Convention, titled “Education, Training and Public Awareness”, seeks to reduce the impact of climate change by enabling society to be a part of the solution. Specifically, the Convention calls on countries to promote, facilitate, and collaborate on the development and implementation of educational programmes and materials on climate change and its effects. The Conference of the Parties in 2012 (COP 18) and the Paris Agreement (2015) further elaborated Article and put forward the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) framework and guidelines. Research on national reports to the UNFCC shows two concerning patterns: “(a) while climate change education and communication content appeared in submissions, little is currently suitable for monitoring purposes; and (b) there were notable gaps in climate change education and communication activities, given a pronounced emphasis on cognitive knowledge over affective and action-oriented approaches” (McKenzie, 2021: 631). This panel brings together researchers and policymakers to critically examine efforts to improve Climate Change Communication and Education in K-12 schools worldwide (CCE). The first paper, by Meredith McDermott and Thaddeus T. Copeland, describes CCE policy and practice in New York City (NYC); the authors will draw on their experience leading the Office of Sustainability at the NYC Department of Education. The second paper, by Heather Price, describes the development and potential contribution of the new CCE module in the 2024 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) by the OECD. The third paper, by Oren Pizmony-Levy, presents an effort to document the work of CCE organizations – NGOs, CBOs, higher education institutions, activist groups, and public campaigns – to empower all members of society to engage in climate action. The fourth paper, by Carrie Anne Karsgaard, critically examines land-based responses to climate crisis, making recommendations for climate e ducation. Together, the papers provide a holistic perspective on the ways in which the education sector can contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation. The authors engage different literatures that are relevant for educational improvement in International Comparative Education, including: globalization theories, non-state actors, and policy/practice gaps. By doing so, the panel contributes to the theme of the conference “Improving Education for a More Equitable World”.
Climate Change, Society, and Youth Activism
Location: Wed, February 22, 8:00 to 9:30am EST (8:00 to 9:30am EST), Grand Hyatt Washington, Floor: Independence Level (5B), Independence
Chair: Oren Pizmony-Levy; Pizmony-Levy@tc.columbia.edu
Youth Climate Activism in New York City and Stockholm
Erika Kessler; elk2144@tc.columbia.edu
Israeli Youth Protesting Climate Change – What Motivates Them?
Aya Nathan; aya.nathan@gmail.com
Dafna Gan; dafna.gan@gmail.com
National constitutions and youth activism: Secondary Analysis of ICCS 2016
Darren Rabinowitz; dr3011@tc.columbia.edu
Youth at the Center: From project-based learning to partnership-based learning
Christina Torres; cat2199@tc.columbia.edu
Raksha Vasudevan; rv2451@tc.columbia.edu
Panel Description
Climate change is the greatest threat of our time (AAAS, 2009; IPCC, 2014). Not only does climate change endanger the environment and human lives, it also amplifies social, economic, and racial inequality between and within communities across generations (Chancel & Piketty, 2015; Hamman et al., 2018). Children born this decade will face the brunt of climate change when they graduate high school (IPCC, 2018). For these high school graduates, our planet will be “warmer, wetter, and more unstable than the one we inhabit today” (Klinenberg, Araos, & Hoslov, 2020: 650). The past five years have witnessed the emergence of a global youth climate justice movement that is challenging both governments and societies to act urgently to mitigate climate change and reduce its potential impacts on the environment, society, and economy. This global movement, which was inspired by Greta Thunberg from Sweden, is coordinated through organizations such as Fridays for Future (FFF) that has successfully mobilized millions of students in the US and around the world. Coupled with this activism is growing climate concern and anxiety among youth (Hickman et. al., 2021; Kessler, 2022; Pizmony-Levy & Kessler, 2021, 2022). Moreover, children feel let down by government leaderships and adults who are unwilling to act in ways that might save our planet. What factors explain the emergence of the global youth climate justice movement? What is the role of the education sector in this movement? This panel engage these and other questions. The panel includes four papers that together offer a comprehensive perspective on youth activism in times of climate crisis. The panel opens with two papers that interrogate the motivations for climate activism and the role of schools in shaping these motivations. Both papers draw on interviews with youth climate activists. The first paper, by Erika Kessler, compare youth activism in New York City, US and Stockholm, Sweden. The second paper, by Aya Natan and Dafna Gan, examines the case of youth activism in Israel. The third paper, by Darren Rabinowitz, analyzes the link between youth activism (including, but not limited to, climate change) and contextual factors – norms expressed in constitutions and foundational documents. This paper takes a cross-national approach using data from the 2016 International Civic and Citizenship Study (ICCS). The fourth paper, by Christine Torres and colleagues, explores the experiences of graduate students and high school students in a climate j ustice oriented partnership. Taken together, the papers make a contribution to the CIES 2023 conference by focusing on youth as an engine or catalyst of educational change and improvement.