Environment-based Education and Higher Reading Scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills

Many people naturally associate environmental education and improved understanding of science. But environmental education also contributes to the development of basic skills including reading. One elementary school employed environment based education for this purpose.

Bagley Elementary School in the State of Washington Washington, employed the Environment as an Integrating Context (EIC) and then measured their perofrmance on reading scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.

Bagley found that the EIC students' Iowa Test scores rose from an average of 44 to 53 among students in the environment based program

Citation: Lieberman, Gerald A. and Hoody, Linda. (1998). Closing the Achievement Gap. San Diego, CA: State Education and Environment Roundtable. (http://www.seer.org/)