The John Disinger Study

In 1987, John Disinger from the Office of Education Research and Improvement did a study through the ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education located in Columbus, OH. He asked the states to assess the level of environmental education in their elementary curricula, and found stunning results to indicate that most states were not yet at the level of environmental education integrated throughout most of the school district curricula.

40 of 50 states responded to the survey that inquired about EE topics, practices, and policies in school systems. Only 1 state reported that EE is most commonly taught as an elementary subject; and only 4 states said that it is taught as an elementary subject in some or a few districts. 35 of the 40 states responded that EE is infused with science.

For the most common topics discussed in EE, or in science courses including the environment, Disinger found the following results:

• Nature study 94.6%
  Energy Education 69.2%
  Conservation 66.7%
  Science/Society/Technology/Environment 20.5%
  Population Issues 17.9%

The low percentage S/S/T/E indicates the lack of a true system of environmental education, one that includes an in-depth focus on human relations and interactions with the environment. In no cases was EE integrated with a social studies curriculum, but environmental factors have influenced the direction of history. Attitudes about the environment often mirror attitudes towards other people—those who feel a responsibility to one often live out a responsibility to the other. Thus, social relations often provide a mirror for environmental attitudes. Yet, relatively little emphasis has been placed on this aspect of EE on the elementary level.