EE 2000- The Beginning
NEEAP's Demonstration States Program  

EVALUATION OF A DEMONSTRATION STATES PROGRAM TO STRENGTHEN STATE LEVEL
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION INITIATIVES (1995)

Masters Thesis by Robert H. Holsman

In 1994, a case study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a Demonstration States Program to assist state level working committees at enhancing their state environmental education (EE) initiatives.  This research was conducted by NEEAP graduate assistant, Robert Holsman. This research is contained in a thesis titled "Evaluation of a Demonstration States Program to Strengthen State Level Environmental Education Initiatives".  This document can be obtained from the library at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.  Following is an  abstract of this research.

Five states participated in a 14-month Demonstration States Program through NEEAP (Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Hawaii). These pilot states received small grants, printed resources, workshops, a video, a project newsletter, professional networking, and consultation on how to achieve comprehensive state environmental education programs.

Components of comprehensive state EE programs include such items as the development of a state funding source for EE, teacher training requirements, state EE councils, EE grants programs, state EE master plans, and curriculum planning and instruction requirements for EE.

Data for this case study was collected through written surveys of state coordinators, telephone interviews with selected state EE leaders, and from documentation of events and activities provided by the states throughout the course of the program.

Evaluation of Demonstration States Program effectiveness was based on:1) pilot state’s success at meeting their one-year objectives and 2) respondent’s perceptions about the effectiveness of the program’s services and of program participation.

During the program study, three of the four states were able to achieve new initiatives that strengthened their state programs. Results indicate that resources produced specifically to assist state grassroots organizing efforts were the most effective program services. Perceptions of state EE leaders about changes in the status of their state EE programs and the impact of Demonstration State program participation varied. In general, the Demonstration States Program participation had a greater impact on states that more actively sought consultation and were at an earlier stage of organizational development.