Press Release 2006.04.12

Paul G. Allen Family Foundation awards $175,000 in matching funds

(Bainbridge Island, WA) IslandWood announced today that it has been awarded a $175,000 grant by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to develop innovative methods for assessing the effectiveness of experiential outdoor education for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders.

IslandWood will use these funds to work with professional evaluators and experts in experiential education.  They will design and implement assessment tools and conduct research that will ultimately culminate in the release of an IslandWood Report Card.

"Hands-on experiential education centers like IslandWood can find it hard to measure the impact of their programs by traditional testing methods," said Peter Berliner, senior programs officer for the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. "This grant will help fund innovative ways to assess their work."

“Besides offering concrete information on how we are serving our students, this preliminary study will be an opportunity for IslandWood to develop innovative tools and systems for evaluating experiential education,” said IslandWood Executive Director, Ben Klasky.  “Pending positive results from the preliminary study, we intend to proceed with a multi-year national study in partnership with other organizations.”

In the last school year, more than 4,000 children from nearly 60 schools including Suquamish, Pinecrest, and East Port Orchard Elementary Schools in Kitsap County participated in IslandWood programs, with more than half of these students receiving scholarship support. Anecdotal evidence suggests that IslandWood’s unique, experiential curriculum is effectively reaching children with diverse learning styles and helping them succeed back at home in the classroom.

For example, Barbara Nielsen, a long-time Principal in the Seattle Public Schools, said, “With 32 years of experience in education including involvement in a wide range of outdoor learning, there is nothing that will ever, ever compare with what children experience at IslandWood."

And Bette Hyde, Superintendent of Bremerton Schools, said, "IslandWood is a life-altering experience for many of our kids… It is a critical learning experience at a critical time of life. IslandWood provides perspective, hope and possibilities."

Now in its fourth year of educational programming, IslandWood has delivered an exceptional outdoor learning experience to thousands of school children in the Puget Sound region. “When environmental education is done well, students have the opportunity to learn in active ways, growing in their abilities to observe, analyze, interpret and connect to their physical and social environments,” said Pat Guild O’Rourke, IslandWood Education Director.  “To what extent are the children impacted by this experience is the question we want to measure in the IslandWood Report Card process.”

The primary objectives for this evaluation project include:

• Assess student competence – what are the cognitive learning outcomes of IslandWood programs and how long do students retain this information?
• Assess student confidence – how do IslandWood programs help students to gain confidence as learners and scholars, as scientists, as team members, and as integral members of their communities?
• Assess changes in student perspective – what new sets of possibilities, perceptions and worldviews are opened to students who participate in IslandWood school programs?

The IslandWood faculty has established partnerships with a number of state agencies, environmental, and experiential education organizations, schools and universities within the Puget Sound region. The outdoor center is now poised to develop a formal coalition of educators and evaluators in a coordinated effort to advance the quality of environmental education assessments.

IslandWood’s Executive Director Ben Klasky holds M.B.A. and M.Ed. degrees from Stanford University and formerly worked as the Director of Research and Evaluation at Teach for America’s national headquarters.

• Education Director Pat Guild O’Rourke has a Doctorate in Education. As an elementary school principal, teacher educator, and author of two books and over 30 articles in the field of learning styles, she has repeatedly been responsible for evaluating academic skill growth and curriculum effectiveness.

About IslandWood
Located on Bainbridge Island, WA, IslandWood is a unique 255-acre outdoor learning center designed to provide exceptional learning experiences and inspire lifelong environmental and community stewardship.  Through its flagship School Overnight Program, IslandWood’s experienced teaching naturalists and educators combine scientific inquiry, technology and the arts to help Puget Sound-area students understand cultural and biological diversity.  IslandWood also offers community programs for adults, children and families; volunteer opportunities; a speaker's series and other community events open to the public. For more information visit www.islandwood.com

About Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
Launched in 2004 through the consolidation of Paul Allen's six private foundations (first established in1988), the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation supports nonprofit organizations focused on making positive and measurable change in the Pacific Northwest. The mission of the Foundation is to build healthy communities and advance social progress through four strategic programs that nurture arts and cultural endeavors, engage children more deeply in the learning process, respond to the needs of vulnerable populations, and advance scientific and technological discoveries that expand our understanding of the universe. The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation reviews and awards grants twice per year, and accepts applications from eligible organizations located in, or serving the populations of, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Visit the Foundation online at www.pgafamilyfoundation.com.