The word ‘engagement’ is right there in the title of Youth Engaged in Sustainable Systems (YESS). Students who participate in YESS contribute to their local watersheds, forests and marine ecosystems through three to six weeks of project work, guided by industry professionals. In March, students from four YESS
At its best, professional development doesn’t just introduce content, it inspires teachers while providing them with clear strategies and resources they can use right away. Even better, it includes potential avenues for student civic engagement. That’s what middle school teacher Kate Schrock took away from a March workshop
In 1999, a national study found that 59% of Americans didn’t know what the term ‘watershed’ meant. Even today, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) notes that approximately 80% of Americans in urban areas are unaware of the networks of urban creeks and waterways that run through their
Technology in schools, aka digital learning, has increased an astounding 900% since 2000. A 2025 national New York Times survey found that 99% of teachers said their school provided devices to students for use in class, and another eight in ten teachers reported that students at their school
For the first time since 2000, computer science enrollment is dropping at universities across the United States as AI continues to expand into sectors previously operated by humans. Despite this trend, one tech field is projected to grow by 10% through 2032: Geographic Information Systems, or GIS. Employment
If you’ve tried to access any PEI resources recently, you will have noticed a new feature on PEI’s website: a registration portal. The portal serves to help us track which resources teachers are downloading the most, along with basic information about who is using them. In general, we
Wildlife is an inherently interesting topic for students of all ages, whether they’re learning about minor fauna like bees or ‘charismatic megafauna’ like bears. It turns out that adults find these subjects pretty fascinating, too, especially when provided with tools for teaching about conservation issues in Washington State.
Birdwatching is never a sure thing, especially in the Pacific Northwest in December. Throw in an atmospheric river dumping record levels of precipitation and the odds of observing local species in their natural habitat drop dramatically, as participants in a recent workshop learned when their outdoor bird observation
From a student summit in January to PEI’s Asynchronous Course in November, our team has experienced memorable moments throughout 2025, including navigating state and federal budget challenges. Here are our top five most-read stories from this year along with two honorable mentions: #1. Bidding Farewell to Half the
A good indicator of whether a teacher training is effective is how soon educators plan to apply what they’ve learned with students. For educators at one recent PEI workshop, that answer was ‘tomorrow.’ “People said they planned to use these resources the next day,” says Emily Newman, PEI’s
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