Search Annenberg

Teaching about climate and planetary health is hard. This brief distills the evidence into five classroom practices — local relevance, solutions, structured dialogue, outdoor learning, sustained teacher support — plus approaches to avoid.

SustainableED hosted its first annual conference on research at the intersection of education and climate change on May 1st, 2026 in Providence, Rhode Island. The program featured two keynote conversations, 12 research lightning round presentations, and breakout sessions to facilitate cross-industry conversations.

SustainableED is excited to host our second-annual one-day conference on research that examines the relationship between education systems, the environment, and our changing climate.

The recording is now available from Pam Grossman’s fall Distinguished Lecture, on how philanthropy and state policy can strengthen teacher preparation, professional growth, and career pathways for educators.

The US federalist system of government assigns substantial authority to states to create and implement policies. At this time, as the federal government’s role is shrinking, the role of state policy is even more important. Ideally, states make laws based on the unique needs and conditions of their state; however, throughout history and continuing today, state policies vary considerably in their reach and generosity, and not always in ways consistent with the economic, environmental, or social needs of states, but rather in the ideology of state leaders. Measuring state-level variation and its impact on well-being is more important now than ever, and policy scholars bear responsibility for it.

Abigail Orbe is a doctoral student affiliate at Annenberg.

John Papay, professor of education policy at Brown, told the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education that students in schools with high MassCore completion are more likely to finish college, while flagging large gaps in who completes it.

David Rangel

The Sustainable Education Research Initiative (SustainableED) is a national hub for research at the intersection of education policy and climate change.

David Sobel

Derron O. Wallace

Dev Patel

Diana Canales Osorio

Diana Quintero

DreJean Cummings

Edom Tesfa

Elizabeth Bettini

Ellen Bryer

Emily Emick

Emily Handsman