In partnership with Spokane Public School District (SPS) and Northeast Washington Educational Service District 101(ESD 101), the Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment facilitated the creation of the SPS Climate Integration Task Force. The Climate...
Partner stories
These stories are a collection of educator professional learning experiences and opportunities provided by ESD, CBO and Tribal School partners.

NEWESD 101
Northeast Washington ESD 101 focused on creating a way to reach all 288 schools in their region with standards that fit their scope and sequence while expanding teachers understanding of climate science. This resulted in larger professional development for regions and individualized professional development for some schools.
Climate Change Through Children’s Literature: A Teacher Showcase
The sixth and final session of the virtual Climetime professional learning series "Our Climate is Changing, Why Aren't We?" featured a showcase that provided teachers from NEWESD 101, ESD 123, ESD 105, and NCESD an opportunity to share their experiences. For this...
Building Our Understanding of How We Can Support Students to Develop Their Use of the Crosscutting Concepts Through Childrenβs Literature
Our Climate is Changing, Why Arenβt We? Childrenβs Literature Book Study convened virtually for the fifth session in late February. Engaging nearly 60 educators from across ESDs NEWESD 101 (Spokane), ESD 123 (Tri-Cities), NCESD (Wenatchee), and ESD 105 (Yakima), we...
Advocacy and Hope Continue to Support Our Learning about Climate Change Through Children’s Literature
Session Four of the virtual professional learning series βOur Climate is Changing, Why Arenβt We?β engaged nearly 70 educators from across ESDs NEWESD 101 (Spokane), ESD 123 (Tri-Cities), NCESD (Wenatchee), and ESD 171 (Yakima) in continuing to learn how to use...
Our Climate is Changing, Why Aren’t We?
The virtual professional learning series" Our Climate is Changing, Why Aren't We?" wrapped up it's third session on December 17th that focused on climate learning with an emphasis on indigenous perspectives, content integration, advocacy, and hope. The event is...
Continuing to Build Hope: A Climate-focused Book Study for K-5 Teachers
The virtual professional learning series βOur Climate is Changing, Why Arenβt We?β continued this month on November 19th with the second of six sessions focused on climate learning, content integration, advocacy, and hope. The event is presented as a collaborative...
Building Hope: Using Books to Introduce Climate Science in Early Education
How can educators begin teaching climate science to young learners in a way that feels accessible, hopeful, and impactful? For many teachers, the idea of discussing wildfires, severe weather, greenhouse gasses, and climate change with students as young as 5 or 7 can...
Teens Tackle Social Determinants of Health with Climate Justice League
Climate change was the reason Lori Buratto decided to become a high school science teacher. She understood how climate change impacts every aspect of life, but for years she only felt confident teaching it in the context of environmental science classes. Last year,...
OpenSciEd High School Summer Institute inspires and motivates teachers
βWe need to stop thinking, βIs this student good enough for my science class?β and start asking, βIs my science class good enough to engage all students?ββ This was the question posed by Jamie Yoos, a chemistry teacher and OpenSciEd facilitator from Bellingham,...