NCLB: Act II

On Earth Day tomorrow, members of the House's K-12 subcommittee will be working at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge in Laurel, Md. They'll be at a hearing on the No Child Left Inside Act, which would authorize $100 million a year for states to develop curriculum to address environmental issues. For background, see this post from July.

The bill would increase student achievement in core subjects, improve the health of children, and develop a skill critical for the 21st Century workforce, says the coalition of almost 200 environmental groups supporting the legislation.

"We'll be passing on complicated environmental problems to future generations," the coalition says in this action alert. "We must give the next generation a solid understanding of these problems and the basic tools to overcome them and make informed choices in their own lives." The action alert also notes that House committee leaders included much of the No Child Left Inside bill in the NCLB discussion draft that they circulated last year.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, will be the star witness at the hearing. Nancy S. Grasmick, Maryland's state superintendent, also will be there, as will a local principal and a conservation biologist. The hearing is scheduled to be outside, I hear.

I won't be there, unfortunately, because I'll be on assignment in Chicago. If you're planning to attend, I'd recommend wearing Gore-Tex.