UM-Dearborn Stewardship Initiative
Grant Type: 2007 Planning Grant
Project Duration: 6/13/07–10/25/07
Grant Amount: $14,778.93
Project Description
This Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative Planning Grant focused on increasing environmental stewardship of the Great Lakes within the Alliances of Rouge Communities and Downriver Communities, which includes 77 municipalities, three major universities, three community college systems, and more than 40 K–12 school districts. Its geographic and programmatic hub was the Environmental Interpretive Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Project Outcome
The University of Michigan-Dearborn was awarded a planning grant through the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI) to formally explore the possibility of establishing a hub for southeast Michigan (primarily Wayne County and Dearborn, and including the Rouge River watershed, Ecorse Creek and parts of the Huron River watershed). Several teachers and principals, along with representatives of community organizations, joined the authors of the University’s successful planning grant proposal to execute the planning process. This consisted mainly of meetings and electronic sharing of information and documents. Although most of the infrastructure and the plan of operation for a regional hub were developed by the project’s leaders, all members of the planning team helped to identify needs for stewardship in the region, and also reviewed two drafts of the proposal. A focus group of high school students also provided input on a draft. Principals and teachers within the planning group were supportive of the three components of the GLSI, and staff at the University of Michigan-Dearborn brought to the table significant enthusiasm for and expertise in environmental education. The planning process probably would have benefited from early and more direct input from stakeholders and partners. Positive outcomes of this grant for teachers and principals on the planning team included a better understanding of the nature and importance of school-community partnerships, a greater familiarity with community organizations that are eager to collaborate with schools, and a new appreciation of the potential, positive impact of place-based education on students’ achievement. Benefits for community organizations involved in the planning process included a greater familiarity with each other’s mission and work, and a greater understanding of the needs of teachers and students. Participants received a “library” of literature, research, curricula and case studies about place-based education, and the proceedings of the meeting were archived and made available on-line.