| Objective: Identify and support communities in developing strategies to assess, monitor and improve environmental quality and quality of life. Meet the state's needs for planning and performance budgeting and accountability by coordinating local community measurements with a statewide evaluation.
Explanation: It is important to begin measuring environmental stewardship in North Carolina in ways that value individual differences among communities. A community-based effort provides the best measure of success and an effective stimulant for local efforts. The statewide evaluation of awareness and behavior should be closely related to community measures. Caution must be exercised in attributing specific evaluation results to particular environmental education programs.
Action:
Encourage communities to set environmental education goals, evaluate achievement of their goals and demonstrate environmental stewardship.
Recognize communities that demonstrate environmental stewardship.
Develop a statewide environmental education evaluation closely coordinated with local evaluations. Draw on local resources to develop and conduct the statewide assessment.
Provide a forum for communities to join together to share opportunities and successes in measuring and promoting environmental stewardship.
Increase the number of significant environmental items on the statewide end-of-grade tests developed by DPI for school accountability. |
