McCaffrey to spearhead the new initiative
Mark S. McCaffrey has joined NCSE's staff to spearhead its new climate change initiative. A veteran climate change educator, McCaffrey will be in charge of NCSE's efforts to defend and support the teaching of climate change. (See NCSE's mission statement here.)
Mark McCaffrey
McCaffrey comes to NCSE from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he played a leadership role in the development of two important educational frameworks — "Climate Literacy: Essential Principles of Climate Science" and "Energy Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Energy Education" — and helped to establish the Climate Literacy & Awareness Network.
"It's important for educators to be able to teach about climate change as it is understood by the scientific community," McCaffrey says. "But too often they encounter resistance, explicit or implicit. And even in the absence of such resistance, too often they are not prepared to teach the topic effectively."
The expertise that McCaffrey brings to NCSE is already apparent in the "Teaching Climate Change" section of NCSE's website, which provides educators not only with information about climate science but also with effective strategies for teaching about climate change in particular.
But it's only the beginning, McCaffrey adds. "There are major challenges to the teaching of climate change, and there's a lot of work to be done in improving climate literacy across the board. I look forward to helping to overcome those challenges as part of the NCSE team."
Links:
NCSE mission statement: "Why is NCSE now concerned with climate change?"
Video: "An NCSE for Climate Change?"
CONTACT: Robert Luhn, Director of Communications, NCSE, 510-601-7203, luhn@ncse.com
Web site: www.ncse.com/climate
The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) is a not-for-profit membership organization that defends the teaching of evolution and climate change in the public schools. The NCSE provides information, resources, and advice to schools, teachers, parents, and concerned citizens defending science education. We educate the press and public about the scientific, educational, and legal aspects of these issues at local, state, and national levels. Our 4000 members are scientists, teachers, clergy, and citizens with diverse religious affiliations.