On the 55th anniversary of Earth Day, the Illinois State Board of Education will begin preparing educators to provide instruction on climate change. Illinois joins California, New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey in ratifying laws that require climate change education in public primary schools in the state. With Illinois joining the New York and California, the city of Chicago, as an emergent megacity by 2030, demonstrates an imperative to invest in climate education, especially in urban areas. Although federal mandates do not guarantee climate change education across the United States, more states can join and advocate for this movement to prepare teachers to inspire the next generations to continue the call to protect people and planet.
Policy Takeaways
- In preparation for Illinois House Bill 4895, pre-service teacher training at Illinois universities need to incorporate transdisciplinary and solutions-oriented climate education across colleges and backed by industry leaders to better communication the value of the climate imperatives across the board.
- Curriculum needs to adapt as fast as the environment and include participatory, co-design of new programs across disciplines and acknowledge the role of environmental activism.
Facts & Figures
- 9,000 teachers every year graduate without skills and content to teach basic environmental or climate studies.
- 80% of undergraduates are alarmed due to experiencing anxiety and grief related to climate change.
Illinois House Bill 4895
Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, the bill mandates every public school shall provide instruction on climate change, which shall include, but not be limited to, identifying the environmental and ecological impacts of climate change on individuals and communities and evaluating solutions for addressing and mitigating the impact of climate change and shall be in alignment with State learning standards, as appropriate.
Illinois is the fifth state in the nation to make climate change education mandatory in public schools, following California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
Effective July 1, 2025, the Illinois State Board of Education shall, subject to appropriation, prepare and make available multi-disciplinary instructional resources and professional learning opportunities for educators that may be used to meet the requirements of the instruction.
References
Illinois House Bill 4895, 103rd General Assembly, Public Act 103-0837, effective July 1, 2025.
Kumar, P., Sahani, J., Rawat, N., Debele, S., Tiwari, A., Emygdio, A. P. M., ... & Pfautsch, S. (2023). Using empirical science education in schools to improve climate change literacy. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 178, 113232.
Stevenson, R. B., Nicholls, J., & Whitehouse, H. (2017). What is climate change education?. Curriculum perspectives, 37, 67-71.