WestEd News
Art Sussman Helps Improve Science Curriculum for Palau Schools
WestEd Senior Project Director Art Sussman has been working in and with Palau as part of our Pacific Islands Climate Change Education Partnership (PCEP).
PCEP is an international partnership funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to serve the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. Co-directed by Sussman, PCEP focuses on how climate change impacts the coastal ecosystems that are vital to the lives and cultures of inhabitants of this Pacific Islands region.
PCEP targets educators, students, and community members in a region that is among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts, including changes in weather patterns, sea-level rise, coastal erosion, coral-reef bleaching, ocean acidification, and contamination of freshwater resources by salt water.
Sussman’s PCEP work in Palau includes helping to revise the country’s entire science curriculum framework for grades 1 through 9. Sussman and his team members are finalizing the framework and helping the Palau Ministry of Education with the initial implementation phases.
Implementation activities will include identifying and obtaining curriculum materials aligned with the new learning objectives, providing professional development for teachers, and revising the assessment system with a stronger emphasis on formative assessment.
In recognition of his curriculum work, Sussman was an honored guest at the High School Ocean Sanctuary Event in Palau.
“The Palau President has proposed that the ocean reaching to 200 miles outside the land boundaries of this multi-island nation of Palau be established as a Marine Sanctuary,” says Sussman. “It would be the only country in the world that has taken this very broad protection step. High school students wrote essays about the proposal, and the six winning finalists orally presented their essays to a large audience of dignitaries and their student peers.”
Learn more about the Palau National Marine Sanctuary.
The Ocean Sanctuary Event photo accompanying this blog post features (from left to right) Antonio Bells, Vice President of Palau; Tommy Remengesau, President of Palau; Art Sussman; and Sinton Soalablai, Palau Minister of Education.
Posted on June 15, 2015