Climate Change Education (CCE): Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP) Program, Phase II

goals: (1) preparing a new generation of climate scientists, engineers, and technicians equipped to provide innovative and creative approaches to understanding global climate change and to mitigate its impact; and, (2) preparing today's U.S. citizens to understand global climate change and its implications in ways that can lead to informed, evidence-based responses and solutions. Each CCEP is required to include substantial involvement of representatives from each of the following communities: climate scientists; experts in the learning sciences; and, practitioners from within formal or informal education venues. This combined expertise is intended to foster innovative, trans-disciplinary advances in climate change education and insure that educational programs and resources developed by each CCEP reflect current understanding about climate science, the best theoretical approaches for teaching and learning such a complex topic, and the practical means necessary to reach the intended learner audience(s). Additional types of expertise are allowed, but these three required areas must form the core partnership. Each CCEP should be organized around either geographic regions that share similar climate change impacts, or major climate impact themes (e.g., sea-level rise).The CCEP program is a two-phase program. CCEP Phase I (CCEP-I) projects funded in FY 2010 and FY 2011 and a sub-set of CCE projects funded in FY 2009 have focused on Partnership initiation and strategic planning for Phase II. Objectives for Phase I activities included: (1) conducting an inventory of existing climate change education resources and identifying educational needs and opportunities relevant to their particular region or theme; (2) identifying key players from relevant stakeholder communities and initiating network development; (3) convening community workshops and other community-building activities that lead toward development of a comprehensive climate change education strategic plan for that Partnership; and, (4) laying the groundwork to develop, customize, and scale-up standards-based instructional materials, professional development and training models, and other appropriate activities tailored to the Partnership's goals. The current solicitation seeks proposals for Phase II Partnerships (CCEP-II) only. CCEP-II awardees will receive up to 5 years of funding to support full-scale implementation of mature and robust strategic plans already developed by regional or thematic partnerships to improve climate change education activities at a significant scale and meet the goals of the CCE program. Strategic plans must include well-integrated formative and summative evaluation activities conducted by an external evaluator. Prior CCEP-I funding is not an eligibility requirement, but all proposed Phase II Partnerships that did not have CCEP-I funding must demonstrate that they meet the required criteria and have undertaken activities that address the goals and objectives described in the CCEP-I program solicitation.