INTRODUCTION

The education of young people about the role and importance of the food and fiber system is essential to securing the future for our communities, nation, and the world. Future generations of leaders must understand the complexity of the global food and fiber system. Educational institutions need to assist young people in discovering how to balance natural resource issues and create sustainable communities that enhance the quality of life for families, while at the same time, promote economic viability for business enterprises. There is an immediate obligation to educate youth about the food system. The Cornell education Resources Program (CERP) is a nonprofit agency of the Department of Education in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. It serves educators and individuals interested in developing and/or procuring curriculum and instructional materials related to agriculture, the food and fiber system, and environmental and life science education. One advantage of CERP to the Consortium is that it is already performing many of the functions and services that are needed to effectively provide systemic change in the public understanding of and engagement in the food system. Since Cornell University is one of the partners of the Consortium, this resource can provide services to the region and contribute positively to its mission. One of the principle programs administered by CERP is New York Agriculture in the Classroom, whose mission is to increase agriculture literacy and food systems understanding in youth and educators.

PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The overall goal of the Food Systems Educational Programs for K-12 youth in the Mid-Atlantic Regional program is for individuals in the Mid-Atlantic States to develop an awareness, understanding, appreciation, and specific knowledge about the food and fiber system. Specifically, individuals will appreciate the economic, social, historical, and scientific importance of agriculture and the food system in our society; develop an accurate vision of the food system and modern agriculture; recognize the connection between plant and animal production and the daily consumption of food and fiber products; and explore career opportunities. To achieve these goals, the following objectives are identified:

• To increase the effectiveness of other MAC partnerships by developing unique and new food systems educational materials. Support specific MAC partnerships that have a K-12 component and are developing curriculum instructional materials. Encourage and participate in partnerships with other interested organizations and individuals, and provide educational outreach in schools and to the public.
• To provide professional development opportunities to educate elementary and secondary teachers, Extension agents, school administrators, and other educators on the effective use of instructional materials for delivering food systems curriculum content, (which meet state and national learning standards) using existing professional development mechanisms in each state.
• To position the Cornell Educational Resources Program as a regional instructional resources center in the areas of agricultural, environmental, horticultural, and food and fiber systems education, and increase instructional resources available for teachers to use to effectively deliver food systems education in schools.
• To explore and develop opportunities for using media outlets, including the Internet, as tools for delivering and distributing food systems instructional materials to teachers and students.

Summer Institute June 2006

Incorporating The Food Systems In Middle School Science And Consumer/Life Skills Instruction

At the end of this 2005-06 school year, in late June, the Consortium will offer a three day institute to improve the knowledge base and instructional strategies of middle school science teachers and consumer/life skills teachers, ultimately translating into higher student achievement in the area of science especially as it relates to the sustenance of our life – Food. Early spring the Consortium will be inviting schools to submit applications for the summer institute. Approximately 24 middle school teachers spread across the various socioeconomic levels of school districts in New Jersey will be accepted. Six schools with a team of four teachers each will participate in the training. It is anticipated that each team will consist of three teachers from 6 through 8 grades representing the earth, life and physical science areas and one consumer/life skills teacher. Additional teams representing other states in our Consortium may also participate in this program.

Teachers selected for the program will receive the three days of training at Rutgers University. Faculty from Cook College who represent the various selected content/subject areas will deliver four, half day presentations (two full days) in the Food System content area and two half days of training in the pedagogy to deliver the instructional model. It is anticipated that faculty members will present the subject matter background related to the Food Systems that include the following as well as other units to be determined: 1.Context of the Food System, 2.Components of the Food System and 3.Implications of Food for Health. The selected content will be aligned to the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS). The goal of the training will be to give the teacher a broader and deeper understanding of the areas that they are responsible to teach and not add to their curriculum area. The second part of the professional development would be in the area of instructional strategies. Teachers will be exposed to a problems based, inquiry approach to teaching the Food Systems content. They would use this teaching model to implement the content learned during the two days of training. This training will be delivered by members of the Cook College Teacher Education Program. The final goal of this pilot would be for this outreach model to be replicated in the other states represented by our Consortium of colleges/universities. Therefore, another aspect of the Summer Institute would be to include 5 member teams from each of the Consortium states. These teams would need to consist of one faculty member and four middle school teachers (as described above) from the states represented in the Consortium. A further goal as a result of the Institute is the development of an on-going relationship between the schools and the university and among the schools themselves. In addition, an on-line list serve, a dedicated link from the Consortium’s web-page and a 1 day refresher session will be available to all participants.

Those interested in participating or would like further information about the Summer Institute 2006, should contact Dr. Peter Bastardo at bastardo@rci.rutgers.edu.