Kitty Armstrong McAllister, KittyA.McAllister@ky.gov,
(502) 564-6606, ext. 146

Note to editors: Photos and cutlines can be downloaded at <http://www.educationcabinet.ky.gov/newsroom/photos/KEECGraduation2005> Photos by Tim Thornberry, Kentucky Education Cabinet.

Thirty-four of Kentucky’s nonformal educators comprised the first graduating class in the nation for the 2004 Environmental Education Certification Program on Thursday, March 31, 2005 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Lexington. Graduates of the program included zoo, aquarium and national park staff, and others interested in teaching about the environment in a nonformal setting.

“A certified environmental educator must be environmentally literate, understand the history and philosophy of the field of environmental education and be familiar and able to use the unique instructional and assessment techniques that make environmental education so effective with a broad range of students. This program is being looked at as a national model. At this time, Kentucky is the only state program that is assessment based and requires coursework, so all eyes are on Kentucky,” stated Kentucky Education Cabinet Secretary Virginia G. Fox at the ceremony. 

Also participating in the ceremony were the course’s lead instructors with more than 70 years of combined experience in teaching environmental education at the university level. They were Dr. Joe Baust of Murray State University, Professor of Education, Director of the Center for Environmental Education; Dr. Yvonne Meichtry of Northern Kentucky University, Associate Professor of Education, Director of the Center for Environmental Education; and Dr. Terry Wilson of Western Kentucky University, Professor of Education, Director of the Center for Math, Science and Environmental Education.

"Until this certification program, there has never been any specific preparation to be an environmental educator in Kentucky.  In fact, ours is the first course-based program in which there are assessments based on the national environmental education standards," stated Jane Eller, KEEC executive director.

The three courses that make up the program based on the national <http://www.naaee.org/npeee/new_ee.php> guidelines developed by the North American Association for Environmental Education.  There are five major assessments required to be certified including a written test, a set of 15 short essays, a debate that looks at various sides of current Kentucky environmental issues, a comprehensive unit of study, and a test of environmental literacy, <http://www.state.ky.us/agencies/envred/documents/ContentGuidelines2005.pdf> .

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The KEEC, an agency in the Kentucky Education Cabinet, was established in 1995 to improve Kentuckians’ understanding of the environment.   Their mission is to provide citizens with the knowledge and skills they need to make their own informed environmental decisions. For more information on the certification program, visit <http://www.state.ky.us/agencies/envred> or contact KEEC Executive Director Jane Eller at (502) 564-5937, or by e-mail, jane.eller@ky.gov .