Our Impact

The future of our planet relies on the ability of today’s children to visualize, steward and sustain an environmentally healthy world. We face a deepening awareness of climate change, limited natural resources, and other significant environmental issues. The health and sustainability of global ecosystems face increasing pressure from a variety of human activities and are at risk. Gaps in science and environmental literacy and the lack of authentic interdisciplinary education further exacerbates this problem.

Without an understanding of how natural systems work, students, teachers, and community lack the ability to effectively act as informed stewards of these resources.

Using integrated field investigations and project-based environmental education, students learn to solve the problems we face today and in the future. Through FieldSTEM, PEI empowers educators to take students outside to not only learn information but to experience applied STEM practices, using real-world tools. Students get to see the environmental content, problems or issues on a micro and macro level, and practice the important work of Washington’s natural resource stewardship and agricultural management. Integral to this kind of experiential education, FieldSTEM mobilizes districts, schools, informal education partners and businesses in regions across the state, so that together we create strong and invested learning networks using the environment as a tool to teach core subjects, promote critical thinking, and expose STEM career pathways for ALL students.

FieldSTEM is effective because it’s place-based and project-based. It offers a rigorous, hands-on approach to learning real-world science. FieldSTEM works well for diverse learners, the support and training are low-cost and accessible, and it doesn’t require a lot of extra resources. This builds equity for all students in all regions of our state by ensuring low barriers for schools and teachers. Further, FieldSTEM lessons highlight regional jobs and careers, sharing pay ranges, and the education and skills needed to get hired. PEI believes we have a responsibility to contribute ensuring all students receives a high-quality education so that we have a scientifically literate citizenry making balanced decisions for a thriving future.