Each year, we ask our community of schools for feedback on the Ontario EcoSchools program. Why? Because we believe that the best ideas come from you – the students, teachers, educators, and school staff who are engaging in environmental learning and action every day.
In June, 297 educators shared their feedback via our online survey. Here are the some of the insights we gained:
- 98% agreed or strongly agreed that “engaging students in environmental education is important to me.”
- 87% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their site visit experience.
- 83% agreed or strongly agreed that their school’s participation in the program improved environmental awareness among students and environmental practices at their school.
We also asked our community for suggestions to improve the program, and we listened. Here are two key ways we are putting your ideas into action!
1.Student-friendly online application
Becoming a certified EcoSchool can be both a rigorous and rewarding process. This year, we redesigned the online application platform to be more student-friendly and easier to use. Exciting new features include:
- Invite up to 5 EcoTeam members to access and help complete the application
- Simplified templates in the Curriculum section
- Preview your portfolio uploads within the application (in development)
2. New Resources
We are constantly looking for ways to support the wonderful work you do. Here are the top three areas of the program where you would like additional support:
- School ground greening (51%)
- Student leadership/engagement (49%)
- Fundraising (46%)
Stay tuned for some exciting new resources we will be launching this year to help you in these areas. In the meantime, please be sure to watch our new Getting Started video to kick-off your year!
Thanks again to our community for taking the time to share insights and feedback. And a warm congratulations to Audrey McSherry from Corpus Christi CSS in Burlington for winning our survey draw!
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