Oren Pizmony-Levy (pizmony-levy@tc.columbia.edu)

 In this Keynote presentation at the Research Symposium of the North American Association for Environmental Education, I discusses the international nature of Environmental Education (EE). The presentation begins with a brief introduction to the field of Comparative and International Education (CIE). Then, I outline and demonstrate four contributions the CIE field can offer to EE research. The first contribution is an analysis of the emergence and development of transnational discourses that link education, environment, and more recently sustainability. The second is a systematic analysis of various EE indicators worldwide – including domestic EE organizations, representation of environmental topics in social studies textbooks, and reports from students, teachers, and principals – and the role of transnational discourses in explaining the spread of EE. The third contribution is a careful analysis of the role of local context in shaping EE policy and practice. The fourth and final contribution is a critical perspective on global diffusion of EE policy and practice. I conclude the presentation with lessons from another educational movement: International Large-Scale Assessments (e.g., TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA).

View Presentation: Comparative and International Perspectives on Environmental Education