Obstacles and Solutions

Building a strong PBE program in your school and community takes time, persistence, and a dose of creative thinking. But before you say, “I can’t do it,” listen to the voice of experience! Veteran teachers have identified the most common obstacles to success and suggested ways to tackle each one.

Place-based education is a new idea and it lacks administrative support. Solutions
There isn’t enough time for place-based education projects. Solutions
Many teachers are not comfortable in outdoor classroom settings. Solutions
Community Associations and other groups are not aware of the possibilities. Solutions
In schools, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. Solutions
It’s not clear to teachers and administrators how PBE addresses educational standards. Solutions
Funding for and commitment to PBE projects fluctuates from year to year, administration to administration. Solutions

Vignette

"Living Machine" & Wetlands Restoration

Seventh- and eighth-graders learn how wetlands function through a service-learning project with the Department of Environmental Protection's Wetlands Restoration Unit. Students construct a "living machine," a self-sustaining, integrated, four-chambered ecosystem in which the waste from one chamber becomes the nutrients for the next.

EastConn Alternative Design Academy
Hampton, CT