October 6, 2006 — Ocean literacy and science education are important to NOAA not only because the agency needs experienced and talented scientists to fulfill its mission, but because every individual across the nation, whether living in a coastal or inland state, is affected by the oceans and atmosphere — everyday. NOAA's mission is to serve the nation's need for oceanic and atmospheric information, but doing so also means helping to ensure that the general public understands how NOAA science impacts their daily lives and future prosperity.

"El Niño events, for example, have shown us that the oceans drive the weather and climate for people everywhere in the Western Hemisphere, even those living inland. The vision for building an ocean literate society therefore needs to extend beyond the coasts and include the lives of those far from the sea," said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "The oceans are also a vital part of our national security, and a critical element in international trade and economic development."

Unfortunately, many Americans have little knowledge about the oceans and atmosphere. NOAA related curricula and professional development opportunities for teachers are helping to promote ocean literacy by improving education opportunities for students — and the entire population.

NOAA'S OFFICE OF EDUCATION
Recognizing the importance of ocean literacy and the need to develop a education program within NOAA, Lautenbacher reconstituted the NOAA Office of Education and appointed a Director, Louisa Koch. One of the primary goals of the office is to coordinate education programs across the agency, direct agency policy on environmental literacy, provide advice on related issues and represent NOAA on broad federal education efforts. The NOAA Office of Education also administers NOAA-wide programs that support K-12 formal education, teacher professional development and informal education.

NOAA's K-12 Formal Education and Teacher Professional Development Programs
NOAA activities enhance classroom-based science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education through application of NOAA science and data in curricula and teacher professional development activities. Examples of NOAA's efforts in these areas are described below.

• NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration: The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration has developed more than 250 hands-on, inquiry-based lesson plans correlated to the national science education standards — a curriculum entitled “Learning Ocean Science through Ocean Exploration” for grades six to 12, “Expedition Education Modules” for multidisciplinary expeditions to unknown or little-known regions of the world ocean, and multimedia learning objects on key topics in ocean exploration. The lessons are designed to help educators engage students in science through the world of ocean exploration, introducing them to the people who do this work, and inviting them to experience their expeditions of discovery. The NOAA Ocean Exploration Program also offers professional development to teachers through its partnerships with aquariums and science centers.
• NOAA National Ocean Service’s Discovery Center: The NOAA National Ocean Service’s Discovery Center Web site contains innovative multimedia products and resources for students and educators at the high school level, and focuses on the scientific research, technology and activities conducted by NOS in the areas of oceans, coasts, charting and navigation. They include:
  • The Discovery Classroom, a collection of more than 40 formal lesson plans, emphasizing hands-on activities using on-line data resources.
  • Discovery Kits, a series of online tutorials on the basic principles underlying the NOAA National Ocean Service's applied science and activities.
  • Discovery Stories Kits, a set of case studies drawn from ongoing NOAA research in coastal and ocean science. Each includes student and teacher guides, exercises using real data and interviews with NOAA scientists.
• Education Resources Kits: NOAA education also leverages public interest in educational opportunities through current events. In 2005, after the Indonesian tsunami, NOAA developed and produced a tsunami education resources kit for K-12 teachers. In 2006, NOAA produced a hurricane education packet in response to heightened national interest following Hurricane Katrina and the record breaking 2005 tropical storm season.

Education is federally mandated in four NOAA Programs: the NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve, National Marine Sanctuary Program, Sea Grant and Coral Reef Conservation Program. These programs offer education activities tailored for the local community that build understanding of the multi-disciplinary science required for resource management and stewardship, and allow citizens of all ages to explore spectacular marine and coastal resources as natural laboratories.

• NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve: The NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserves strive "to enhance public awareness and understanding of estuarine areas, and provide suitable opportunities for public education and interpretation." The reserve system provides a range of award winning education programs ranging from hands-on field experiences for students to professional development opportunities for teachers. Students and teachers are invited to explore the estuaries virtually through the EstuaryLive program, an interactive field trip over the internet. The reserves also reach out to coastal decision makers through the NERR Coastal Training Program. Reserve educators provide regularly scheduled public programs and special events and partner with local schools, community-based organizations and volunteers.
• NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program: The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program provides teachers with the resources and training to support ocean literacy in America's classrooms. The sanctuary program has an online collection of lesson plans and curriculum materials, including one for grades four to five featuring the newly designated Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. The Web site also has links to the very popular “Encyclopedia of the Sanctuaries," an online "field guide" loaded with hundreds of photos and videos covering critters from the vampire squid to the gigantic blue whale. The sanctuary program is also leading NOAA's efforts in multicultural ocean literacy through the MERITO program, which focuses on providing Spanish-language learners with the tools to improve their academic skills and confidence, in the areas of science and conservation. The sanctuary program also offers numerous workshops for teachers across the nation during the year.
• NOAA National Sea Grant College Program: Sea Grant is NOAA's primary university-based program, partnering with 30 universities to improve understanding and use of ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources through scientific research, education and extension. Sea Grant education programs at local and national levels work toward the common goal of improving educators’ understanding of contemporary marine and aquatic science issues and research, and empowering them with strategies infuse this knowledge into their classrooms. The Sea Grant network offers a variety of programs and resources in marine and aquatic sciences for K- 12 students and teachers, undergraduate and graduate students, and the general public. These include curriculum development, workshops, conferences, summer internships, informal education for the general public, radio programs, Web sites, videos and other electronic media on topics ranging from coastal ecosystems to marine biotechnology. The Sea Grant Educators Network offers a variety of resources for students and teachers, including The Bridge, a national collection of the best marine education resources available on-line, providing educators with a convenient source of accurate and useful information on global, national, and regional marine science topics.
• NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program: The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program strives to “enhance public awareness, education, understanding and appreciation of coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems and issues regarding their long-term conservation.” An interdisciplinary partnership of more than 30 NOAA offices, the program works at international, national and local levels to promote ocean literacy and equip current and future decision-makers with the latest research and tools for advancing coral reef conservation. The program has more than 27 lesson plans and curriculum materials online, including a unit for grades 4-6 on satellite monitoring and coral reefs; activities for middle school students on coral bleaching, coral spawning and the effects of carbon dioxide on coral reefs; and lesson plans for grades 9-12 on a range of life and Earth science topics. The education Web site also links to the popular Illustrated Coral Reef Glossary, the Coral Kingdom Photo Library, a series of educational essays, and information on things you can do to protect coral reefs. You can also access a searchable library of NOAA’s publications and data, as well as a “professional exchanges” — actual debates of coral scientists on conservation hot topics.

In addition to the teacher professional development opportunities mentioned above, NOAA provides opportunities for teachers to participate in research teams conducting activities aboard NOAA’s fleet of ships and aircraft.

• NOAA Teachers at Sea and Teachers in the Air Programs: Since its inception in 1990, the NOAA Teacher at Sea program has enabled more than 460 teachers (K-12 and college professors), from 47 states and 3 countries to participate in hands-on research and experience life aboard NOAA hydrographic survey, oceanographic and fisheries research vessels. The NOAA Teacher in the Air program, expands on the shipboard experience by offering former Teachers at Sea the opportunity to experience science activities conducted on NOAA aircraft. Administered by the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, the excitement of both programs has been captured by participating teachers in hardcover children's books (middle school level) that include science and math activities, a glossary of terms and full-color images.

NOAA Partners With National Organizations to Extend The Reach
NOAA's efforts to build ocean literacy also depend on partnerships and collaborative ventures. "Partnerships that leverage resources are central to building ocean literacy throughout the nation. We must work together," said Lautenbacher. Below are a few examples.

• Ocean Literacy: Ocean Literacy is a joint public and private partnership effort to address deficiencies in the K-12 education standards highlighted by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. This project drew on collective expertise across the ocean science and education community to identify the knowledge needed to be "ocean literate" in accordance with the National Science Education Standards for K-12 education.
• Promoting NOAA Science in K-12: Earth science is included in every state's education standards, but only 24 percent of the nation's students take a high school Earth science course prior to graduation. NOAA is now working with TERC, a private education research company, to make Earth science a more appealing choice by developing a model lab-based high school Earth system science course featuring a combination of field work, classroom experiments and computer access to data and visualizations. TERC is also completing a project to assess the degree to which ocean sciences are currently represented in state science education standards.
• NOAA/National Science Teachers Association: Through a partnership with the National Science Teachers Association, NOAA expands the impact of its science education activities by leveraging NSTA's expertise and extensive network of teachers. “Special Symposia” (and exhibits) at regional and national conferences provide teachers with supplemental education materials and concentrated professional development to improve content knowledge in science topics relevant to NOAA's mission. Web seminars reinforce the symposia and increase the likelihood that the new resources and knowledge will be used in the classroom. Other efforts underway include development of NOAA focused “Science Objects” and “SciGuides,” tools to help teachers learn and incorporate ocean literacy principles into their curricula.
• NOAA/American Meteorological Society: NOAA partners with the American Meteorological Society to train K-12 teachers and promote quality K-12 education through NOAA sciences, products and services. AMS Projects Atmosphere and Maury provide intensive training workshops for K-12 teachers in NOAA atmospheric and ocean science. The DataStreme courses: Atmosphere, Ocean, and Water and the Earth System, are on-line, graduate-level teacher enhancement programs. Teachers trained in these programs act as community-based peer trainers for tens of thousands of additional teachers, ultimately impacting millions of students. AMS also offers introductory undergraduate Online Weather and Ocean Studies. The materials for the DataStreme series and undergraduate courses rely on NOAA real-time environmental data available on the Internet.
• NOAA/JASON Project: In partnership with the JASON Project, NOAA engages middle school students in scientific research and expeditions through the use of multimedia tools and cutting-edge technology. Bob Ballard, an ocean explorer best known for discovering the sunken ocean liner Titanic, has shared his discoveries to millions of students in classrooms around the country, via JASON’s satellite and internet broadcasts.

NOAA Education Activities Focused on the Regional or Local Level
Many NOAA education activities described above are implemented on multiple levels. However, NOAA engages in a number of education projects that are specifically targeted at particular regions or localities. Examples of these include:

• NOAA B-WET (Bay Watershed Education and Training) Programs: Regional B-WET activities in Chesapeake Bay, California and Hawaii provide meaningful watershed experiences for student, teachers and local communities to build knowledge of the environmental conditions and issues of the local watershed and improve stewardship.
• Ballard Maritime Academy: A three-year maritime program (10-12 grade) at Ballard High School (Seattle, Wash.). At the academy, students develop ocean literacy while completing their standard, required high school course work because marine and maritime themes are incorporated throughout the curriculum,. The students also explore maritime careers options through guest lectures, visits to ships and industry facilities, and a related internship their senior year. Many graduates of the academy, now in it fifth year of operation, choose maritime careers and related-degree programs. The academy’s success has sparked development of similar ocean literacy programs at other area schools.
• NOAA Partnerships with Informal Education Venues: Students and teachers extend their learning environment through NOAA-related hands-on experiences, exhibits and programming at their local aquaria, science centers and museums (e.g., the Smithsonian Ocean Hall, NOAA Science On a Sphere — a 3-D visualization tool for presenting NOAA's global data).
• NOAA Ship Naming Contests: Students and teachers are invited to participate in establishing identities for new vessels for the NOAA fleet through NOAA’s Ship Naming Contests. Students in Washington, Oregon and California currently have an opportunity to contribute to federal maritime history by naming the newest fisheries survey vessel currently being built. The contest was created to encourage interest in scientific studies, particularly those relating to fisheries and the oceans.

Overall, NOAA's efforts to support K-12 STEM education through curricula, teacher professional development and informal institutions benefit the entire nation. The general public is empowered with NOAA data/information and, in turn, NOAA can more efficiently and effectively accomplish its mission of serving the nation's need for oceanic and atmospheric information.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Office of Education

An Education Plan for NOAA

NOAA Educational Funding Opportunities

Written Testimony By Brigadier General John J. Kelly (U.S. Air Force, Ret.) Deputy Under Secretary National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration U.S. Department Of Commerce Oversight Hearing On K-12 Science And Math Education Across The Federal Agencies Before The Committee On Science U.S. House Of Representatives March 30, 2006

Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.) Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator Capitol Hill Oceans Week: Creating an Ocean Literate Society June 5, 2002

Science Content and Standards for Ocean Literacy: A Report on Ocean Literacy

NOAA Education Resources

NOAA Ocean Challenge Puzzle

NOAA Ocean Explorer OceanAGE (Another Generation of Explorers)

NOAA PROMOTING OCEAN SCIENCE THROUGH SCHOOL MILK CARTON CAMPAIGN IN ST. LOUIS

American Meteorological Society (AMS) Education

Media Contact:
David Miller, NOAA, (202) 482-6090