Earth Partnership for Schools

2006 RESTORE Institute participants identify prairie plants

Participants in the 2006 RESTORE Institute identify plants in the Wisconsin Native Plants Garden overlooking Curtis Prairie, the world's oldest restored prairie.

2009 RESTORE Institute and 2009 Earth Partnership for Schools Institutes

The Earth Partnership for Schools RESTORE (Restoration-Education, Science Training and Outreach for Regional Educators) Initiative was established to expand our nationally recognized model for teacher professional development to a nationwide audience, leading to improved teacher classroom practices.

Our goal is to use native plantings and the process of ecological restoration on school grounds as a means of placing education reform into core subject areas. EPS emphasizes inquiry-based learning, multiple intelligences, and interdisciplinary connections in a hands-on, collaborative setting.

Involvement in the RESTORE initiative includes participating in a two-week Leadership Institute for national RESTORE teams (each team consists of two non-formal educators/resource personnel from your facility and four K-12 teachers).

The goal of the RESTORE Institute is to create a national learning community of professionals interested in high-quality teacher professional development and schoolyard habitat restoration education. Institute graduates gain content-based knowledge, learn evaluation techniques, and receive curricular materials, along with ongoing support from Earth Partnership for Schools staff. They leave the institute prepared to sponsor one-week Leadership Institutes at their respective EPS Regional Facilitating Centers.

2009 RESTORE Institute

RESTORE Institute (complete Application Packet) July 13 - 22, 2009

Please review the following links for application information:

RESTORE Overview
Responsibilities of Participating Organizations
Financial Matters
Credit
Program Schedule
Application Forms
Application Checklist
Contacts

Additional Information and Brochures

RESTORE Leadership Institute PowerPoint

For Teachers

2009 RESTORE Leadership Institute Brochure

EPS Tri-fold Flyer (US Botanic Garden)

General Information

RESTORE Brochure

The Challenge Facing Children Today and 10 Restoration Education Steps

RESTORE Overview

The Earth Partnership for Schools (EPS) Program began in 1991 as an outgrowth of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum's focus on ecological restoration as a way to establish a positive relationship between people and the land. EPS is a model K-12 teacher professional development program that enhances teaching and student learning through the process of restoring native ecosystems on school grounds.

The vision of RESTORE (Restoration-Education, Science Training, and Outreach for Regional Educators) is to promote and replicate EPS ecological restoration-based education in other states in order to improve teacher professional development and effective use of schoolyard ecological restoration sites as outdoor classrooms for student learning.

The RESTORE initiative is intended to provide extensive training to teams of educators who want to establish EPS Facilitating Centers in their states. The RESTORE Leadership Institute shares the EPS professional development model in an experiential format, which allows teams to strategically plan how they will bring the EPS program to their region. New practices of teacher professional development, inquiry science, ecological restoration, program design, and learning theory are explored collectively as teams share ideas and expertise and create a sense of community around this common area of interest. They experience activities that show how to use the restoration process to teach science, math, and related core subjects.

EPS Institutes have tremendous potential for teacher enhancement. As one teacher stated: "The way the course was laid out with all the activities being an integral part of the restoration process is unbelievable in my opinion. It is rare to have a course pack so much pertinent information into ten days. We experienced every aspect of the restoration projects that we are going to do with students." Students at all levels, with diverse learning styles and varied socioeconomic backgrounds learn scientific concepts through this hands-on, context-rich restoration-based experience.

RESTORE builds upon the EPS program's 18 years of experience so that new EPS Facilitating Centers' staffs will be prepared and motivated to implement their own state-specific EPS programming for K-12 teachers. This initiative offers teams comprised of two facilitating center staff members and four K-12 teachers (2 teachers from 2 schools per site) one graduate level, two-week (80-hour) institute.

Teams apply to participate and commit to serving as EPS Facilitating Centers. Within one year of their institute experience, these teams plan, implement, and evaluate a one-week teacher professional development institute (or equivalent) in their home states for interdisciplinary teams of 4-6 teachers from 10 schools. Additional networking, program support, and follow-up are offered to teams. An EPS Facilitating Center Handbook, along with an EPS Resource Binder and EPS K-12 Curriculum Guide are also provided. EPS activities are cross-referenced with standards and include curricular objectives and student learning assessment ideas.

Responsibilities of Participating Organizations

Commit long-term to implementing the EPS program in your home state, and recruit collaborative teacher teams. (Applying organizations)
Form a team that will attend the Leadership Institute made up of two non-formal educators/resource personnel from your organization, four teachers (preferably 2 teachers from 2 schools), and at least one natural resource staff person interested in pursuing schoolyard restoration sites on school grounds.
Collaborate and network with EPS staff and other participating EPS Centers before the institute to share expectations and identify strengths and needs.
Participate in a RESTORE Leadership Institute (July13-22, 2009).
Offer a one-week EPS Institute (or equivalent) in 2010. (Applying organization)
Start a school curriculum/site committee during the school year at each school following the institute. The committee should be comprised of teachers representing a variety of grades and disciplines. Students and community members may also be members. (Teachers)
Develop an ecological native planting for the school sites. (Teachers)
Participate in program evaluations and/or provide classroom and student-based assessments you have used. Our funders request evaluation of Earth Partnership program activities.
Act as a resource person for EPS Center staff and other natural resource staff who are developing schoolyard habitats. (Natural Resource Agency)

Financial Matters

Each EPS Center team will receive approximately $500/person to assist with travel, meals, and lodging costs during the 2009 Institute.
Lunch costs are covered during the RESTORE Leadership Institute.
Participating EPS Centers are responsible for the costs of planning and implementing the 2010 one-week Institute.
Each participating team receives services and materials through this program with a monetary value of approximately $30,000.

Credit

The 2009 Leadership Institute is offered through University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Curriculum and Instruction for three credits.

These credits are classified as "special student" credits. The credits can be transferred to graduate credits by the graduate department with whom you are enrolled.

The Leadership Institute course is a UW-Madison graduate level course, and tuition is waived. Participants are responsible solely for the UW segregated fees (approximately $110). Registration information will be sent in April 2009. Optional additional credit for action research projects is also offered as a UW-Madison graduate level course, and tuition is waived.

Program Schedule

Spring 2009

EPS staff in Madison and EPS RESTORE teams network and collaborate via phone and email to identify strengths, needs, and expectations to ensure long-term commitment and sustainability.

EPS partnering organization staff meet with school teams and school administrators to collaborate on the RESTORE initiative and discuss plans for school restoration projects.

Summer 2009

July 13-22: RESTORE Leadership Institute at UW-Madison Arboretum

Fall 2009 through Spring 2010

At Schools: Form ongoing school teams. Initiate a native habitat planting on/near school grounds.

At EPS Centers: Design a one-week institute, and recruit up to 10 school teams (four-to-six teachers) to participate. EPS staff provides one on-site visit to each center. Content and process of these site visits will be determined jointly by EPS and EPS RESTORE teams.

All Sites: Hold a half-day video conference/meeting to network, share experiences and strategize program planning. (Video Conferencing services provided.)

Summer 2010: Implement a one-week (or equivalent) EPS Institute at your facilitating center.

Fall 2010 and Beyond

At Schools: Continue cycle of native planting, implementation and use. Maintain student and staff involvement.

At EPS Centers: Provide support to schools. Integrate EPS programming into your center's education program. Feel free to contact EPS staff for consultation.

Application Forms

National RESTORE Leadership Institute

Application Checklist

Partnering Organization Administrator Form(s)
Two (2) Partnering Organization Staff Forms
Four (4) Teacher Forms
At least one (1) Natural Resource Agency Staff Form
Two (2) Signed School Administrator Letters

Please keep copies for your records

Return to:

Earth Partnership for Schools - RESTORE
UW-Madison Arboretum
1207 Seminole Highway
Madison, WI 53711

Deadline: February 15, 2009
After February 15, call for availability

CONTACTS - NATIONAL EARTH PARTNERSHIP FOR SCHOOLS OFFICE

For questions about the institute or application procedure, call the Earth Partnership for Schools office:

Cheryl Bauer-Armstrong, Director - (608) 262-5264 or cherylbauer@wisc.edu
Rick Hall, RESTORE Project Specialist (608) 262-5367 or rdhall@wisc.edu
Marian Farrior, Outreach Specialist (608) 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Carol Edgerton, Office Manager (608) 262-9925 or caedgert@wisc.edu

2009 Earth Partnership for Schools (EPS) Institutes

2009 Wisconsin EPS Institute Applications

Northern WI: Great Lakes Visitor Center, Ashland, June 15–19, 2009, Application

Hosted by Great Lakes Visitor Center, University of Wisconsin-Superior, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Douglas County Land and Water Conservation District, CESA 12, and Northland College. Contact Susan Nelson, Great Lakes Visitor Center at (715) 685-9983, sbnelson@fs.fed.us or Ted Cox at (715) 394-8153, tcox@super.edu.

Southwest WI: Kickapoo Area School District, Viola, August 10-14, 2009, Application

Hosted by Kickapoo Area School District, La Crosse County – UW Extension, D. B. Reinhart Institute of Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University, CESAs 3 & 4, USFWS Upper Mississippi NWR, Kickapoo Valley Reserve, Organic Valley, Inc., and University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum. Contact Rick Hall at (608) 262-5367, rdhall@wisc.edu.

N.E.W. (Northeastern WI) EPS Center: Cofrin Center for Biodiversity and Fallen Timbers Environmental Center, July 27-31, 2009, Application

Hosted by Cofrin Center for Biodiversity, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Fallen Timbers Environmental Center, and CESA 6. Contact Vicki Medland at (920) 465-5032, medlandv@uwgb.edu or Fran Meek at (920) 984-3700, fmeek@cesa6.k12.wi.us.

Central WI: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, July 6–10, 2009, Application

Hosted by LEAF Program, Wisconsin Center of EE, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Contact Chris Kuntz at (715) 346-4956, Chris.Kuntz@uwsp.edu.

Milwaukee: Urban Ecology Center, August 10–14, 2009, Application

Hosted by Urban Ecology Center, Urban Connections, Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, and University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum. Contact Kathy Palmer at (414) 964-8505, kpalmer@urbanecologycenter.org.

Western Wisconsin: River Falls, August 3–6, 2009, Contact Star Academy to apply.

Hosted by University of Wisconsin-Stout, Philadelphia Community Farm, Standing Cedars Land Conservancy, CESA 11, and YMCA Camp St. Croix. Contact Chuck Bomar at (715) 232-2562, bomarc@uwstout.edu.

2009 Regional EPS Institutes

California: Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, August 10–14, 2009.

Hosted by the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and the TreePeople. Contact Colleen Biles at (626) 821-3222, colleen.biles@arboretum.org

Illinois: Chicago, July 27–31, 2009, Application

Hosted by The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, the Chicago Botanic Garden and Lake County Forest Preserves. Contact Eva Dubey, Chicago Botanic Garden at (847) 835-8253, edubey@chicagobotanic.org

Indiana: Eagle Creek Park Earth Discovery Center, Indianapolis, June 22-26, 2009.

Hosted by Indiana University/Purdue University, Center for Earth and Environmental Science. Contact Kara Salazar at (317) 278-8585, salazark@iupui.edu
Website: http://www.cees.iupui.edu/Education/DSE/DSE_Institute.htm

Kansas: Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, Hesston, June 8-12, 2009.

Hosted by Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, Hesston, and Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita. Contact Brad Guhr, (620) 327-8127, bradg@hesston.edu

Michigan: Southeastern

Hosted by Six Rivers Land Conservancy, Cranbrook Institute of Science, Leopold Education Project, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, The Greening of Detroit, and Upland Hills Ecological Awareness Center. Contact Jill Hollowell at mirajill@gmail.com.

Minnesota:

Southeastern MN: Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center, Lansboro, July 27–31, 2009.

Hosted by Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center, University of Minnesota Southeast Regional Partnership/Experiment in Rural Cooperation and La Crescent–Hokah School District. Contact Sara Sturgis (507) 467-2437, sara.sturgis@eagle-bluff.org. http://www.eagle-bluff.org/educator-workshops.html

Central MN: Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, Fergus Falls, August 1-6, 2009, Application

Hosted by Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, University of Minnesota Central Regional Partnership, and Northland Arboretum. Contact Ed Pembleton at (615) 429-1228, epembleton@gmail.com, www.fws.gov/midwest/pwlc.

North Carolina: North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, July 27–31, 2009.

Hosted by North Carolina Botanic Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and City of Durham Department of Public Works. Contact Grant Parkins at (919) 962-2887, parkins@unc.edu

Missouri: Litzsinger Road Ecology Center, St. Louis, June 22–26, 2009.

Hosted by the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center. Contact Eddie Jones, (314) 409-4947, eddie@litzsinger.org,

Contact EPS