In 2018, the Board of Education of Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) voted to approve an amendment to BP-6142.5, the Environmental and Climate Change Literacy (ECCL) Policy. This amends the regulations to include instruction, ensuring that science and history curricula are effectively articulated; assigns and schedules teachers to provide such instruction; creates a resource document for teachers to use while teaching climate literacy; develops integrated, project-based learning; provides ongoing professional development; and continues to develop financial resources that are essential in implementing these goals. The Board recommends that ECCL is taught through integrated, project-based learning that encourages a multi-disciplinary approach that deals with the science, economic, political, social, and cultural factors that are involved in the causes and effects of climate change. Funding is projected to continue through 2022-23.

Policy Implementation Timeline:

2018-19:

• Create an intradistrict model policy of how district departments will be involved in carrying out the policy.

• Identify and vet community organizations for ECCL partners

• Increase membership of the Climate Change Literacy Working Group

• Reestablish a District Green Team

• Conduct inventories of curriculum scope & sequence, environmental assets for each school site, Environmental and Climate Change Literacy teachers, and what is already being done by teachers in environmental education

2019-20

• Climate science fundamentals and elementary action projects will be implemented into 50% of classrooms

• Middle and high schools will be supported by the Climate Change Literacy Working Group

2020-21

• Climate science fundamentals and elementary action projects will be implemented into 75% of classrooms

• Climate Change Literacy Working group will continue to support interested teachers and partners in middle and high schools

2021-22

• Climate science fundamentals and elementary action projects will be implemented into 100% of classrooms

• Middle schools will adopt and implement core science curriculum

• High schools will continue to work with the Climate Change Literacy Working group.