Wisconsin State-Wide Environmental Education Survey

In the first quarter of 2019, a research team lead by Dr. Justin Hougham administered a survey to over 700 environmental education organizations around the state. By the end of the survey period, 193 people responded, providing valuable insight into the field’s progress and direction since the survey’s first iteration in 2014. The researchers found that environmental education employs over 3,000 people in the state and generates between $40 million and $72 million in direct economic activity annually. Respondents collectively manage approximately 165,500 acres of land. Check out the summaries from this survey and surveys from previous years below.

In the first quarter of 2021, a revised and enhanced version of this survey was administered with a specific focus on Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as well as the impact on the field from the COVID pandemic.  Results and analysis will be posted on this site soon in early 2022.

Publications

2020 UW-Madison Division of Extension Department of Youth Development: Please Mind the Gap: How Environmental Education Can Step Forward to Address the STEM Achievement Gap

2020 Connected Science Learning: Science to Story, Story to Social

2019 Research Accelerator: Milwaukee Environmental STEM (E-STEM) Project

2018 Clearing Magazine: Student Generated Data Informing Student-Generated Inquiries

2018 Journal of Experiential Education: Bridging Natural and Digital Domains

2018 Connected Science Learning: Digital Observation Technology Skills