Defining the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE)
- Published:
- November 4, 2014
- Originator:
- Chesapeake Bay Program
- Categorized in:
- Policy Memorandum
- Associated with:
- Education Workgroup
Chesapeake Bay Program partners recognize that participation in strong, targeted environmental education programs, especially in the context of one's community and culture, provide a vital foundation for watershed stewardship. Essential to this learning are outdoor field experiences driven by rigorous academic learning standards that engender discovery and wonder; they nurture a sense of community that connects students with their watershed and help reinforce an ethic of responsible citizenship. In recognition of this, the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement commits states in the region to prepare every student with the knowledge and skills necessary to responsibly protect and restore their local watershed. The cornerstone of this goal is rigorous student inquiry coupled with participation in teacher-supported Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences, or MWEEs, in elementary, middle and high school. This document defines the MWEE, outlining consensus criteria for bringing environmental literacy about the watershed into every classroom, and to every child in a meaningful way.
The Chesapeake Bay Program's Education Workgroup oversees the implementation of the MWEE outcome. Each jurisdiction will continue to craft and refine its own comprehensive and systemic approach to environmental literacy that builds on the MWEE, and is tailored to its own population, geography, and natural, fiscal and human resources. While some of the Mid-Atlantic lies outside of the Bay watershed, states are encouraged to provide MWEEs for all students in the region.