Science teaching through the arts: Bringing state-of-the-art environmental health education to youth in agricultural communities

项目摘要： 在加州，西班牙裔占人口的38%（美国人口普查局，2010年）， 到2040年，估计将占工作年龄人口的50%。在美国，拉丁学院 毕业生正在缓慢增加，但只有不到10%的人获得科学，技术， 工程和数学（STEM）。我们的研究区域是萨利纳斯山谷，被称为"沙拉碗的"。 蒙特雷县公立学校为78，000名学生提供服务，其中约80%是 墨西哥裔美国人，主要来自农场工人家庭。在萨利纳斯联合学区，只有21%的 学生达到或超过CAASPP数学标准，只有8%的11年级学生 报告说，在学校有很高的机会进行有意义的参与。因此，这些萨利纳斯山谷 学生面临许多挑战，包括低收入、英语作为第二语言、住房条件差， 暴力和帮派活动，水污染，接触杀虫剂和硝酸盐肥料， 农业的其他排放。山谷直接连接太平洋和蒙特雷湾， 这些污染物影响海洋生态系统，也会循环回去影响人类健康。 包括环境健康素养在内的改进STEM技能组合可以帮助学生学习 如何解决环境挑战，并进入一个不断扩大的以科学为基础的劳动部门。几 课程澄清海洋健康与人类健康之间的关系。我们的目标是改善 在为这些低收入农业国家的青年服务的学校中开展地方环境卫生知识普及工作， 通过发展综合环境卫生伙伴关系和利用艺术（视觉， 音乐、戏剧）以提高对科学的理解并将翻译扩大到更大的社区 （蒸汽）。加州州立大学蒙特利湾分校（CSUMB）是一所为西班牙裔服务的机构， 科学教育的国家领导人将领导该伙伴关系，蒙特雷的贡献 县教育办公室（MCOE），蒙特雷湾水族馆（MBA）及其长期教师 培训峰会，CHAMACOS研究（加州大学伯克利分校）与其20年 在萨利纳斯山谷和当地的环境卫生社区项目中， 社区艺术团体。为了实现我们的目标，我们将：（1）为环境健康做出贡献 MCOE实施NGSS标准的专业知识;（2）整合环境卫生知识 加入NGSS的水族馆教师培训计划，解决海洋塑料，气候变化， 和农业，并与萨利纳斯谷教师，进行基于项目的学习方法，这些 学科领域;评估这些培训计划对学生知识，能力， 和自我效能感;以及，（3）与青年合作，发展和展示专业级艺术 将环境卫生知识普及教育带给更广泛的受众。

Project Abstract: In California, Hispanics made up 38% of the population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010), and by 2040, will comprise an estimated 50% of the working-age population. In the US, Latinx college graduates are slowly increasing but less than 10% earn degrees in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Our study area is the Salinas Valley, known as the “salad bowl of the world,” and where ~80% of the 78,000 students served by Monterey County public schools are Mexican-American primarily from farmworker families. In Salinas Unified School District, only 21% of students met or exceeded CAASPP Mathematics standards and only 8% of 11th grade students reported a high level of opportunities for meaningful participation at school. Thus, these Salinas Valley students face many challenges, including low income, English as a second language, poor housing, violence and gang activity, water contamination, and exposures to pesticides and nitrate fertilizers and other emissions from agriculture. The valley directly connects to the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay, where these pollutants affect the marine ecosystem and also circle back and impact human health. Improved STEM skill-sets that include environmental health literacy can help students learn how to solve environmental challenges and enter an expanding science-based labor sector. Few curricula clarify the relationship between the health of oceans and human health. We aim to improve local environmental health literacy in schools serving youth in these low-income agricultural communities by developing an integrated Environmental Health Partnership and using the arts (visual, music, theater) to improve understanding of the sciences and widen translation to a larger community (STEAM). California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), a Hispanic-Serving Institution and national leader in science education will lead the partnership, with contributions from the Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE), the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) and its longstanding teacher training summits, the CHAMACOS study (the University of California, Berkeley) with its 20 years history engaging youth in environmental health community projects in the Salinas valley, and local community-based art groups. To accomplish our goals, we will: (1) contribute environmental health expertise to MCOE implementation of NGSS standards; (2) integrate environmental health literacy into NGSS-aligned Aquarium teacher training programs addressing ocean plastics, climate change, and agriculture and with Salinas Valley teachers, conduct project-based learning approaches to these subject area; evaluate the impacts of these training programs on student knowledge, competency, and self-efficacy; and, (3) work with youth to develop and showcase professional-grade art productions to bring environmental health literacy education to wider audiences.