Report on the NOAA Office of Education Environmental Literacy Program Community Resilience Education Theory of Change - Version July 2020

Oct 15, 2026

Report on the NOAA Office of Education Environmental Literacy Program (ELP) Community Resilience Education Theory of Change, including acknowledgements, suggested citation, contact information, publication and version details. It explains what a theory of change is, defines resilience and community resilience education, and clarifies intended audiences, sources, and feedback. The document outlines program history, a literature review, guiding assumptions, and a pathway to change with interventions, causal pathways, and a concluding synthesis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages89

Reading Time3 h 44 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword

Executive Summary

What Is a Theory of Change?

Defining Resilience

Situating Community Resilience Education among NOAA’s Other Resilience Investments

Purposes of This Theory of Change

Intended Audiences

Sources and Feedback

Characteristics of NOAA’s ELP Community Resilience Education Projects

Introducing the ELP Community Resilience Education Theory of Change

Section I: Program History and Evolution to Community Resilience Education

Section II: Literature Review and Assumptions

Section III: Navigating the NOAA ELP Community Resilience Education Theory of Change

Section IV: The ELP Community Resilience Education Theory of Change

Section V: Bibliography

Appendix A: Glossary

Report on the NOAA Office of Education Environmental Literacy Program Community Resilience Education Theory of Change Authors: Genie Bey, Carrie McDougall, and Sarah Schoedinger | Version: July 2020 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank everyone who gave their time, attention, and expertise to reviewing and commenting on various iterations of the ELP Community Resilience Education Theory of Change and this report. In particular, input from the ELP Resilience Education Community of Practice and the NOAA Climate Program Office’s Climate and Societal Interactions and Communication, Education, and Engagement Divisions was critical to shaping this theory of change. Finally, special thanks to Judy Braus, Executive Director of NAAEE, for providing a detailed review of the full report and authoring the foreword. Authors: Genie Bey, Carrie McDougall, and Sarah Schoedinger, NOAA Office of Education Contributors: Maggie Allen, John Baek, Gabrielle Corradino, Jaime Frungillo, Louisa Koch, John McLaughlin, Christos Michalopoulos, Bronwen Rice, and Brianna Shaughnessy—all from the NOAA Office of Education—and Frank Niepold from the NOAA Climate Program Office. Illustration & Design: Jessica Bromley Bartram Illustration & Design (jessicabartram.ca) © This publication may be redistributed non-commercially in any media, unchanged and in whole, with credit given to the NOAA Office of Education. Published in 2020 Suggested citation: Bey, G. , C. McDougall, & S. Schoedinger. 2020. Report on the NOAA Office of Education Environmental Literacy Program Community Resilience Education Theory of Change. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington, DC. doi:10.25923/mh0g-5q69 Published by the NOAA Office of Education [noaa.gov/elp-resilience-TOC](noaa.gov/elp-resilience-TOC) An accessible version of this report and other related materials are available at the site listed above. Contact us: [oed.grants@noaa.gov](oed.grants@noaa.gov) TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword.............................................................................. 1 Executive Summary ...............................................................2 What Is a Theory of Change?........................................................ 3 Defining Resilience ....................................................................... 3 Situating Community Resilience Education among NOAA’s Other Resilience Investments ................................ 4 Purposes of This Theory of Change .............................................. 4 Intended Audiences ...................................................................... 4 Sources and Feedback.................................................................. 5 Characteristics of NOAA’s ELP Community Resilience Education Projects ....................................................... 6 Introducing the ELP Community Resilience Education Theory of Change .......................................................10 Section I: Program History and Evolution to Community Resilience Education...................................... 18 Introduction ................................................................................ 18 The Need for a Theory of Change................................................. 19 Shifting Focus from Climate Change Education to Community Resilience Education ............................................ 20 Defining Resilience ......................................................................22 Defining Community Resilience Education....................................22 The Entire Education Sector Has a Role to Play ............................24 Section II: Literature Review and Assumptions ...................... 26 Resilience to Extreme Weather, Climate Change, and Other Environmental Hazards ................................................26 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education, Environmental Education,

FAQs

What does the report explain about a theory of change?

It introduces what a theory of change is and describes how the ELP Community Resilience Education approach is framed through resilience concepts and education objectives.

How does the document define resilience and community resilience education?

The report provides definitions for resilience, then specifies what community resilience education means within the ELP context and broader education sector roles.

What elements outline the pathway and interventions in the theory of change?

It includes a pathway to change diagram, a problem statement, NOAA and ELP interventions, lists of causal pathways, the ELP goal and end goal, and supporting causal pathway diagrams.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair