An award has been made to Mississippi State University to establish a Phase I Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP) in collaboration with the University of Alabama-Huntsville and the University of Mississippi. The overall goal of the Phase I CCEP program is establishing a coordinated national network of regionally- or thematically-based partnerships devoted to increasing the adoption of effective, high quality educational programs and resources related to the science of climate change and its impacts. This specific project is developing the foundation of a partnership for improving climate literacy in the Southeast US (SE US). The target audience includes children and adults being reached through formal and informal learning environments. The project is enabling the regional population to make informed climate change-related decisions.

The project is identifying and engaging strategically positioned organizations and individuals to develop a regional partnership with a shared vision and effective relationships and connections. It is identifying target groups; determining their understanding of climate change and its local impacts; cataloging related educational materials; creating workshops, providing training and professional development; and pilot-testing pre-existing key educational resources. The project partners are developing: (i) a strategic plan and evaluative system for Phase I that manages a dynamic process of development, implementation, formative assessment, and ongoing refinement; and (ii) a future plan for extending the partnership more extensively across the SE US.

The project is producing 1) a robust, nimble, and integrated network of individuals and organizations mobilizing to increase and improve climate change literacy in the SE US; 2) catalog of vetted resources and outreach/training strategies for climate change education; 3) a strategic plan articulating vision, mission, and goals; formalizing commitments among partners; identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; detailing implementation strategies for a CCEP Program Phase II grant; and articulating strategies for sustainability after NSF funding expires; and 4) evaluation results that are assessing the effectiveness of the CCEP Phase I project. More information on this project is available by contacting Dr. Karen McNeal, at [ksm163@msstate.edu]