Calling all K-12 teachers in Jackson, Josephine, and Curry counties!
Most teachers in Oregon will need to adapt to new climate change and sustainability education curriculum standards. The Youth & Schools Climate Education Program is an opportunity for teachers to receive support for updating their unit and lesson plans.
What are the new curriculum requirements?
- Oregon House Bill 3365 requires that K-12 content standards address the causes and effects of climate change as well as strategies for mitigation, adaptation, and resilience.
- Teachers will need to adapt their unit plans to revised standards within the next 3 years.
- The Oregon Department of Education encourages teachers to integrate climate-related topics into their current curriculum through standards that already provide meaningful connections to climate change and sustainability education.
- For more information, please see the K-12 Climate and Change and Sustainability Education resource from the Oregon Department of Education.
What is the Youth & Schools Climate Education Program?
- Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (SOCAN) is supporting teachers in Jackson, Josephine, and Curry counties with supplemental resources for teaching about climate change in Southern Oregon.
- SOCAN is hosting workshops for teachers to update their lesson and unit plans with locally relevant, science-based climate change resources. These resources include subject matter experts and experiential outings as well as other ideas that teachers may want to include.
What’s in it for teachers?
- Teachers will receive stipends for participating in the program.
- Teachers may receive professional development units (PDUs) for participating in the program.
- Meals, lodging, and travel for the program (for those outside the immediate area) are fully covered by SOCAN.
Want to participate? We are looking for teachers to fill these roles:
Lead Teachers
- SOCAN anticipates that lead teachers will receive $1050 in total stipends.
- Lead teachers are eligible for 35 professional development units (PDUs)
Lead Teacher Requirements
- Participate in a planning session in Jackson County on October 17, 2026. The main purpose of this session is to modify lesson/unit plans to include region-specific and science-based climate change activities and resources.
- Provide feedback on how the planning session can be improved, whether the updated lesson/unit plans were effective, and which supplemental resources were beneficial.
- Help to identify three other teachers in the lead teacher’s school or district who are interested in participating in the program.
- Join a three-day workshop in early 2027 and act as a mentor to other teachers as they develop and implement their updated lesson/unit plans.
- Teach at least one climate change lesson early in the 2026 fall term based on an updated lesson/unit plan.
- Commit an estimated 35 hours total to the above activities – 15 hours in 2026 and 20 hours in 2027.
Teachers
- SOCAN anticipates that lead teachers will receive $600 in total stipends.
- Lead teachers are eligible for 20 professional development units (PDUs).
Teacher Requirements
- Participate in a three-day workshop in early 2027.
- Develop and teach at least one climate change lesson to their students prior to April 1, 2027.
- Provide feedback on the efficacy of SOCAN’s support.
- Commit an estimated 20 hours total to the above activities during the second half of the school year.