[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-600471-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":85,"doc-detail-600471-en":134},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":78,"head_meta":80,"extra_data":82,"updated_unix":84},105,"en","current-issues-in-comparative-education-cice-volume-27-issue-1-new-jersey-teachers-professional-learning-about-climate-change","Current Issues in Comparative Education (CICE) - Volume 27 - Issue 1 - New Jersey Teachers’ Professional Learning About Climate Change","","Study examining New Jersey teachers’ professional learning about climate change in K-12 after statewide learning standards were adopted across subject areas. The research draws on interviews with 50 teachers participating in a 2023-24 classroom observation study, describing how teachers prepared to implement developmentally appropriate instruction. Results show substantial variation, with self-directed learning the most common mode, workshops/webinars second. Some teachers lacked district or school support despite the standards, and future plans varied by grade band, indicating a need for more coherent learning opportunities and mechanisms recognizing self-directed learning.",{"@graph":14,"@context":77},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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is the main focus of this study?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The study focuses on New Jersey teachers’ professional learning about climate change and how prepared teachers feel to implement developmentally appropriate K-12 instruction.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What data does the study use?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"It uses interviews from 50 New Jersey teachers who participated in a classroom observation study conducted during the 2023-24 academic year.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What professional learning modes do teachers report using most?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Most respondents report self-directed learning as their primary mode, followed by participation in workshops or webinars.",{"name":74,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":75},"What implications do the findings suggest for future professional learning?",{"text":76,"@type":64},"The findings suggest the need for more coherent professional learning opportunities to support teachers integrating climate change into teaching, along with mechanisms to acknowledge self-directed learning.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":79,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":81,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":83,"site_id":7},600471,1792132045,{"code":4,"msg":86,"data":87},"success",[88,92,96,100,105,110,114,118,123,126,130],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Story & 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Professional Learning About  \nClimate Change  \nLauren Madden  \nThe College of New Jersey  \nDuring the 2022-23 academic year, New Jersey became the first state in the United States to adopt learning standards that support climate change education K-12 across all subject areas, offering an ideal context for exploring the relationship between education and climate change. Although New Jersey has provided financial funding to support teachers in teaching about climate change, little is known about teachers’ preparedness to implement developmentally appropriate climate change instruction in K-12 settings. This study utilizes interviews from 50 New Jersey teachers who participated in a classroom observation study conducted during the 2023-24 academic year to describe their professional learning related to climate change. Though professional learning varied considerably across the dataset, most respondents indicated that self-directed learning was their primary mode of professional development about climate change, followed by attendance at workshops or webinars. Several participants reported having no access to professional development provided by their school or district on the topic, despite the introduction of standards. When asked about plans for future professional development related to climate change, the majority of interviewees asserted that they had plans, but these varied with their grade bands. The findings suggest that more coherent professional learning opportunities are needed to support teachers in integrating climate change into their teaching. More mechanisms should be implemented to acknowledge teachers’ self-directed learning on climate change.  \nKeywords: Climate change education, educational policy, professional learning.  \nIntroduction  \n2024 was the planet's hottest year on record, exceeding the record from 2023 (Vlock & Jacobs, 2025) . The world is experiencing intensified effects of climate change, including increased floods, extreme weather, wildfires, and changes to ecosystems and biodiversity (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], 2023) . New Jersey (NJ) residents face magnified climate change effects in comparison to other places in the United States (U.S.) (NJ Department of Environmental Protection [NJDEP], 2020) . NJ is predicted to have more extended periods of higher temperatures, sea level rise, precipitation, related flooding, and drought events by 2050 due to a changing climate.  \nChildren are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2023) . Children should be placed at the forefront of climate change solutions. They are at increased risk for asthma and allergies, exposure to pathogens, and displacement from homes due to flooding (EPA, 2023) . Higher heat  \n© 2025, Madden. CC BY 4.0  . Current Issues in Comparative Education 27(1), 88-103.  \nMadden  \nexposure has a negative correlation with students’ academic achievement. The EPA notes that “temperature “ increases of 2°C and 4°C of global warming are associated with, on average, 4 percent and 7 percent reductions in academic achievement per child, respectively, relative to average learning gains experienced each school year”(EPA, 2023, p. 6) . To build a flourishing and resilient future, it is critical to both adapt education to meet the constraints educational systems face due to our changing climate and to educate children about climate change. As Woodard and Schulz (2024) noted:  \nToday’s children will undoubtedly have to learn about and adapt to this global emergency over the course of their lifetimes. Climate change education can help them to understand the causes, consequences, and potential solutions. It can also offer a space to reimagine and act toward a more just future. (p. 5)  \nEducation about climate change is a powerful potential climate solution. Education is amo","cbCaimboFXA1FH6S","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaimboFXA1FH6S","pdf",339207,16,"English","# Introduction\n## Climate change impacts and education need\n## New Jersey standards and implementation context\n## Purpose and research focus\n# Methods and Data\n## Interview study of 50 New Jersey teachers\n## Classroom observation study (2023-24)\n# Findings\n## Modes of professional learning\n## Access to district or school support\n## Future professional development plans by grade bands\n# Implications","[{\"question\":\"What is the main focus of this study?\",\"answer\":\"The study focuses on New Jersey teachers’ professional learning about climate change and how prepared teachers feel to implement developmentally appropriate K-12 instruction.\"},{\"question\":\"What data does the study use?\",\"answer\":\"It uses interviews from 50 New Jersey teachers who participated in a classroom observation study conducted during the 2023-24 academic year.\"},{\"question\":\"What professional learning modes do teachers report using most?\",\"answer\":\"Most respondents report self-directed learning as their primary mode, followed by participation in workshops or webinars.\"},{\"question\":\"What implications do the findings suggest for future professional learning?\",\"answer\":\"The findings suggest the need for more coherent professional learning opportunities to support teachers integrating climate change into teaching, along with mechanisms to acknowledge self-directed learning.\"}]","Current Issues in Comparative Education (CICE) - Volume 27 - Issue 1 - New Jersey Teachers’ Professional Learning About Climate Change | PDF",1792090756]